Directed by Nely Reguera, Spain, 2009, 13 mins
An exquisitely observed, clever, funny and awkward family drama with a stint on a mental patients' ward thrown in for free. Pablo is the errant son of a close but bickering family. He's in a prison-like psychiatric hospital being visited by his optimistic and strong sister... and (in a delightful performance) his grumpy, monosyllabic, sarcastic but loving father. Cue terrible jokes about the other patients, long abstracted silences, sibling rivalry and sniping about everything from who is better at driving/map-reading/filling the tank with petrol/playing table tennis. Anything to avoid the main, painful topic. Reguera's skill lies in showing the love and worry behind the comedy, but also demonstrating that life always goes on and your family's always there for you, no matter how annoying they are... or how mad you are. A real joy.
