Cristina Clemente: This is the family of the screenwriter of 'Com si fos ayer'

BarcelonaCristina is a screenwriter, playwright, and theater director who lives in the Guinardó neighborhood of Barcelona with her partner, Aniol, who works in the field of leisure education. Today I was invited to dinner with Beren and Adela, her children, aged ten and thirteen respectively. Cristina and I work together on the script team for As if it were yesterday, Although we have known each other since 2008 when we met while working at The heart of the city.

As soon as they arrived, they confessed that they had tidied up the apartment to make it presentable. The house is warm and cozy and has a very spacious terrace that allows Huracán and Glopa, the two dogs, to have enough space to spread out. Cristina wasn't particularly interested in having a dog, but some cousins adopted one and told them there were other puppies looking for a home. Adela and Beren didn't hesitate to claim one, and neither did Aniol, who has always had dogs. Cris felt outnumbered and gladly accepted the challenge. The puppy was Huracán, a loving and energetic dog who lives up to his name. In 2023, Glopa arrived unexpectedly and sadly when Aniol's father died. The dog and grandfather lived in a housing estate, and Glopa wasn't used to the city. The family enlisted the help of Carmen Abarca, another member of the series' script team and a dedicated animal rights activist who gave them all kinds of advice. Cris humorously comments that now, when she comes home after two weeks working in Madrid on her theater projects, at least someone welcomes her with joy and enthusiasm.

Preadolescence, autonomy, limits, and exaggerations

Adela and Beren and I met at their mother's theatre premieres (this year she had a Women of radio and Lapland, in Barcelona). And also because they are readers, they have read some of my books and have let me know that they really like them. During the lockdown, I sent Adela The secret language (Edebé) when it wasn't even published, and he's continued reading me ever since. And so has Beren, whom I met at a meeting with schoolchildren in Barcelona about the book. Monster Friends (Animalibros) and I enjoyed letting him brag about knowing me and taking a photo of us together. In fact, Cris whispered in my ear that Beren was especially happy that I shared dinner with them all today and that my latest book, the first in the collection Liana (Cruïlla) has also been a hit at home. They're both lively, curious, and approachable. Adela has a more comedic and fun side that preadolescence has accentuated even more. I ask her about her first year of high school. She answers enthusiastically. And Beren also seems happy that Adela is paving the way for him and is already asking to go to school alone next year. The center is nearby and they go on a bus line where everyone knows each other, and Aniol and Cris are considering saying yes to him.

I ask Cristina, who suffers a lot, how she's handling the fact that her children are beginning to have this autonomy of movement. She replies that she's focused on not passing her fears on to her children, and that she's succeeding. And that she's fed up with the exaggerated dangers that can affect children and young people. Yes, things happen, but it's worth trusting your children. Both she and Aniol talk a lot with Adela and Beren about the risks of social media and also about what can happen on the street. And from that point on, they think it's time to be by their side, but without being invasive. Then they tell me about the time they were alarmed because Adela had started talking to a group of strangers on Discord. Adela lied to them, telling them she was from school, because she was afraid the parents wouldn't like it. The experience was good for everyone. For Adela, because she understood that lying wasn't the solution; on the contrary. And for Cris and Aniol, because they discovered it was a group of girls and boys who were Harry Potter fans, living in a very safe and friendly environment, as well as interesting in terms of education and promoting reading. And it made them realize there's no need to demonize the internet just like that.

Art and sport

I congratulate Aniol on the potato omelette and gazpacho for dinner. Aniol is the official cook, and when Cris is really busy because script submissions overlap with writing or directing her plays, both in Barcelona and Madrid, he's the one who takes on the burden of family logistics. Cris's trips or stays away also serve as a time for fantastic family reunions that bring them together in a special way.

Then I ask them about extracurricular activities. They tell me they try to ensure they have some physical activity and also, as it could not be otherwise, that they discover which artistic activity they like the most. Beren makes parkour and rugby, and next year she'll add singing. Adela used to play basketball, but now she does dance and theater. And she's excited about the writing workshop that will start in September. I ask Cris if she likes Adela's interest in writing, and she says she does, so much so that she let her read for the first time the script of a new play she's written with Marc Angelet, her usual partner in crime and another of our scriptwriting colleagues. As if it were yesterday.

We ended dinner laughing and reminiscing about stories from when Cris and Aniol met because they attended nearby, though "rival," schools. And they tell me they feel like a comedic family, a lover of irony and humor. I confirm this and add that they are also welcoming and fantastic hosts.