Mes amis espagnols

Adrien Bordone
Switzerland | 2024 | 79 min
World premiere
Languages : French, Spanish, Galician
Subtitles : English, French

Born in Biel, Switzerland, in the 1980s, filmmaker Adrien Bordone’s “Spanish friends” moved back to their parents’ homeland as teenagers. A seldom-explored migration phenomenon, this return to an unfamiliar territory proves not without difficulties. Through their stories, a tender portrait of these men emerges, shaped by affection and friendship.

Adrien Bordone grew up in Bienne, where he forged strong ties with a small group of boys who were his daily companions and his football buddies when the school bell rang. However, he had to stand by and watch his friends disappear one by one, as they and their families returned to their native Spain. But what became of these children? What was it like for them to be forced to re-emigrate to a country they did not know? In memory of the friendships of his youth, Adrien sets out to find them, camera in hand, delving into a sometimes painful past to lay bare these men’s dreams and aspirations. With touches of humour and tenderness, he encourages a dialogue that has been suppressed for too long, and captures the vulnerability and sincerity of this group of men in vivid and minute detail. Mes amis espagnols sketches the turbulent history of several migrant families and generations attempting to find their place and their happiness in contexts of crisis.
Alice Riva

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