Life Without Sara Amat

Life Without Sara Amat (Catalan: La vida sense la Sara Amat) is a 2019 coming-of-age drama film directed by Laura Jou from a screenplay by Coral Cruz based on the novel of the same name by Pep Puig [es] which stars Biel Rosell and Maria Morera. It is shot in Catalan.

Life Without Sara Amat
Film poster
Catalan	La vida sense la Sara Amat
Directed by	Laura Jou
Screenplay by	Coral Cruz
Based on	La vida sense la Sara Amat by Pep Puig
Starring	Biel Rossell Maria Morera Francesca Piñón Anna Sabaté Jordi Figueras Isaac Alcayde
Cinematography	Gris Jordana
Edited by	Raúl Román
Music by	Pau Vallvé
Production companies	La Xarxa de Comunicació Local Massa d'Or Produccions
Distributed by	Alfa Pictures
Release dates	28 April 2019 (2019-04-28) (BCN Film Fest) 12 July 2019 (2019-07-12) (Spain)
Country	Spain
Language	Catalan

Plot

The plot is set in a village in the 1980s.^[1] Sara Amat, the crush of 13-year-old Pep, is missing. Pep just happens to find her in his room, with Sara asking to stay for a while and subjecting Pep to tests that force him to mature quickly before the end of the summer.^[2][3]

Cast

• Biel Rossell as Pep^[4]
• Maria Morera [ca] as Sara Amat^[4]
• Francesca Piñón [ca] as Pep's grandmother^[4]
• Anna Sabaté as Sara's mother^[4]
• Jordi Figueras [ca] as Sara's father^[4]
• Isaac Alcayde as mayor^[4]
• Joan Amargós [es]^[2]

Production

The film was produced by La Xarxa de Comunicació Local alongside Massa d'Or Produccions.^[3] Shooting locations in Catalonia included Tàrrega and Granyanella (both in the province of Lleida) and Cerdanyola del Vallès and Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana (both in the province of Barcelona).^[4]

Release

The film was presented at the BCN Film Festival on 28 April 2019.^[5] Distributed by Alfa Pictures,^[3] it was released theatrically in Spain on 12 July 2019.

Reception

Federico Marín Bellón of ABC assessed that the kids' performances are fantastic and that the mise-en-scène displays no superfluous dialogues.^[6]

Mirito Torreiro of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing that "its storytelling is thoughtful, its youthful actors work suitably well and, overall, it is enjoyable to watch".^[7]

Toni Vall of Cinemanía rated the film 3 out of 5 stars writing that the story "improves as the film goes on" and "the ending is open, inspiring, fantastic".^[2]

Accolades

Cinematographer Gris Jordana and composer Paul Vallvé [ca] attending the red carpet of the 12th Gaudí Awards on 19 January 2020

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2020	12th Gaudí Awards	Best Original Score	Pau Vallvé	Won	[8][9]
		Best Cinematography	Gris Jordana	Nominated

See also

• List of Spanish films of 2019

References

1. Vicente, Eduardo de (11 July 2019). "La directora Laura Jou nos desvela los secretos de 'La vida sense la Sara Amat'". El Periódico de Catalunya. Prensa Ibérica. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
2. Vall, Toni (12 July 2019). "La vida sin Sara Amat". Cinemanía. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2024 – via 20minutos.es.
3. "'La vida sense la Sara Amat' – estreno en cines 12 de julio". Audiovisual451. 8 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
4. Úbeda-Portugués, Alberto (10 July 2019). "Los estrenos del 12 de julio. 'La vida sin Sara Amat' ('La vida sense la Sara Amat'). Los ritos del primer amor". Aisge. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
5. Serra, Xavi (29 April 2019). "Els 400 cops de Laura Jou". Ara.
6. Marín Bellón, Federico (11 July 2019). "Crítica de "La vida sin Sara Amat": Primera rotura de corazón". ABC. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
7. Torreiro, Mirito (12 July 2019). "Crítica de 'La vida sin Sara Amat'". Fotogramas. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
8. "Els nominats dels Premis Gaudí 2020". TV3. 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024 – via Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals.
9. "'Los días que vendrán' y 'La hija de un ladrón' triunfan en los Premios Gaudí 2020". Cinemanía. 24 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024 – via 20minutos.es.