Anita no perd el tren

The wonderful Rosa Maria Sardà plays the title role in this charming, often whimsical comedy/drama directed by Ventura Pons.

Anita, a fifty-year-old film buff who has led a predictable and unadventurous life as a box-office clerk, takes a chance on love when she's pursued by a hunky construction worker. It's not your typical romantic comedy, but it's a lovely film.

Set in Barcelona, the film was shot in a mix of Catalan and European Spanish (mostly Catalan), although it's often shown in Spanish-dubbed versions. The European dub is much more carefully done than the American Spanish dub I'm watching right now on Univisión television. I have to admit, however, that the lead actress in the American dub is a remarkable match for Sardà's voice.

If you watch it on DVD, I recommend watching the original Catalan/Spanish multilingual version, since it gives a good feel for the reality of conversations in that part of Spain.

"Anita" is my favorite Ventura Pons film (as the director usually goes in for much more depressing scripts). Apparently it's the only one of his films that's unavailable in the U.S.