Plot:

Hugo and Braulio are two young students with their respective degrees, but
they're unable to find any job or future due to economic crisis in Spain. After seeing a
TV-program about how a Spanish citizen is living in Germany they decide to move to
Berlin. However, the things did not turn out as they had believed.

Setting: Germany and Spain

Characters:

 Yon González as Hugo

 Julián López as Braulio
 Blanca Suárez as Carla
 Úrsula Corberó as Nadia
 Javier Cámara as Próspero
 José Sacristán as Andrés
 Miki Esparbé as Rafa
 Carmen Machi as Benigna
 Malena Alterio as Marisol
 Alberto Chicote as Priest
 Arturo Valls as Spanish immigrant in Berlin interviewee on TV
 Arantxa Aranguren as Juana

Summary:

Overeducated, underemployed professionals Hugo (Yon González, trained in the

financial sector) and Braulio (Julián López, a scientist) are lured to migrate to Berlin by a
TV programme showing an interview with an émigré who describes Germany as
employment paradise. Hugo literally runs into Carla (Blanca Suárez), a fellow Spaniard
who has finally broken through as a professional after a similar struggle with
underemployment, within minutes of arriving in Berlin. Hugo and Braulio room with
Carla and her drug-dealing slacker brother Rafa (Miki Esparbé), sharing a building with
an older Spanish expatriate, Andrés (José Sacristán), who sees the struggles of his
generation echoed in Hugo and Braulio.

A dispiriting, fruitless search for work in their trained professions ensues, as the
language barrier proves insurmountable. Hugo and Braulio are eventually
(under)employed by Hakan (Younes Bachir) in his Turkish café along with Rafa. After
his father Próspero (Javier Cámara) loses his job, Hugo ends up sending most of his
earnings (accompanied by lies about his employment status and importance) back to
Spain, where his father, his mother Beni (Carmen Machi), and his fiancee Nadia (Úrsula
Corberó) make a spontaneous decision after hearing his glowing stories to visit him in
Berlin. Carla and Hugo have grown close after an initial mutual dislike, with Carla
confessing she seems to always end up as "the other woman" in a relationship. Carla
relates a story of how she attended a friend's wedding alone, since her boyfriend at the
time had another commitment, finding out only at the wedding that said commitment
was marrying her friend.

In a subplot, Hakan and his wife Marisol (Malena Alterio) are unable to conceive
a child, despite Marisol's desperation. The doctor informs them that they will undergo
tests to determine if one of them is sterile. While attempting to sell his sperm to fund
German language lessons, Braulio encounters Marisol at the fertility clinic, and she
suggests that she could pay for his lessons if he donates sperm "without the
middleman." Although she successfully conceives a child, Hakan soon learns that he is
sterile and does not believe that he could have fathered Marisol's child.

Another subplot revolves around the irascible Andrés, who is revealed to have an
estranged daughter living in Spain. During the course of the movie, he is diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease.

When Hugo's parents and fiancee visit him in Berlin, Rafa, Carla, Hakan and
Marisol play different roles as Hugo's employees. Carla is introduced as Hugo's
secretary, and Nadia is introduced as Hugo's fiancee. Upon learning this, Carla believes
that Hugo is no different than the other men she has dated, seeing herself as "the other
woman", and angrily reveals the truth behind Hugo's employment. Meanwhile, Hakan
catches Marisol congratulating Braulio for successfully fathering a child and cuts off
contact with both of them.

Hugo returns to Spain to work for Nadia's father while they prepare for the
wedding. Hugo finds Andrés's daughter and informs her of her father's diagnosis, telling
her that the wrong decision can cause a lifetime of regret. On the day of the wedding,
Próspero gives Hugo a speech telling him he should marry for love, not money;
emboldened, Hugo jilts Nadia at the altar and flies to Berlin, where he finds Carla
jogging amongst thousands in the Berlin Marathon. Hugo and Carla reconcile, as do
Hakan and Marisol, who is forced to give birth in the café's delivery van (with Braulio
and Andrés attending) on the way to the hospital, as they are caught in marathon-
induced traffic.

As the movie closes, Braulio wins a scientific fellowship to China, Hugo's parents'
home is repossessed, Carla and Hugo are living together in Berlin with their "extended"
family of Hakan, Marisol, and their daughter; and Andrés's daughter has come to Berlin
to care for her father.
Climax:

The happiest and exciting scene of this movie is the part where the priest asked
Hugo if he accepted Nadia as his wife. It’s a matter of choosing between love and
career. Nadia is from wealthy family so it’s good if he chose her over Carla his true love.

Critic:

This film is interesting to see , because of the bewildering as well as unfortunate

situations that protagonists suffer are similarly happened to the new Spanish emigrants
, as it is what we had to make thousands of Spaniards in order to earn the money out of
the motherland . This is a bemusing film that contains hilarious sketches , tongue-in-
check , grotesque incidents , but above all , it especially packs humor and irony ;
concerning interesting issues as emigration and unemployment of a lost generation .
Sitting in a strange middle ground and the stylishly enjoyable . What we want teaching
is the status of some characters who share home in an apartment and working in
Germany , and that they want everything to gain profits , it serves them in order to
deliver their families .

Fun interpretations from Yon Gónzalez and Júlian López who attempt his luck
traveling Berlin to find expectations and to bring to life the ¨German dream¨ . Support
cast is frankly good , giving agreeable and catching acting as Malena Alterio , Úrsula
Corberó , Miki Esparbé , Younes Bachir . And special mention for the always excellent :
Javier Cámara , Carmen Machi and José Sacristán . Atmospheric musical score by
Juanjo Javierre , including the classic song and film leitmotif : ¨Mi Querida España ,
Esta España Nuestra¨ by Cecilia . Colorful and evocative Cinematography by Isaac Vila.

Lesson:

This movie taught us many lessons. First it’s not easy to work in another country,
you need to bear all the cynicism and hardhips for you to survive. Also Hugo’s character
reminds us that just for the family we can do all the sacrifices. When Hugo chose to be
with Carla, it only proves that it is more important that you are happy with the person
you loved than having a lot of money.