Some very boring Goyas
The musical opening of the Goya gala anticipated the fragility of the show we would see next. Despite the good intentions of the hosts, the couple did not transmit harmony. Both Rigoberta Bandini and Luis Tosar seemed uncomfortable and insecure in a show that didn't even seem to suit them. Tosar was stiff and seemed resigned to carrying out his duty. Despite the efforts of both to feign amusement and familiarity, their appearances were painful to watch. The production insisted on showing Susan Sarandon observing the show. The actress, grateful and willing to collaborate, always seemed to have difficulty understanding and enjoying everything that was happening in front of her. It was incomprehensible that the presence of voice actress Maria Lluïsa Solà and the American interpreter were never united, considering that Solà has been her voice in Spanish. The production, in serious difficulties at times, seemed to insist on connecting them visually. The Gaudí mosaic was the typical graphic element that reinforced the Barcelona identity of the party. A greater notoriety and sensitivity for Catalan and the other co-official languages was appreciated. This is how it should be normal, not a gesture depending on the city hosting the party. But it cannot be that in a multilingual country, acknowledgments in Basque do not have an interpreter.
The best of the gala were the audiovisual transitions that paid tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Goya Awards, recalling the most emblematic and emotional moments, the great films and the presenters. With a paradox: the video dedicated to honoring Catalan cinema was the montage that the Gaudí Awards have never managed to make, not even on the last gala commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Academy.
The musical performances of the ceremony were a disaster. Very old-fashioned versions of songs that were barely fitting were incorporated instead of making the nominated songs shine. Perhaps the Rumba de Barcelona with a half-hearted Bad Gyal was the most successful musical moment. La Bámbola by Ana Mena with the ghostly appearances of Guille Milkyway seemed more like an accident than a duet.
The blame for the gala ending at half past one in the morning and the most important awards being presented after one o'clock cannot be attributed to the length of the speeches. Most of them got straight to the point. It is ironic that a ceremony with so little rhythm was sponsored by a watch brand. It is worth highlighting the pertinent and emotional speech of actor Álvaro Cervantes, without the need to resort to demagoguery to get a reaction from the audience, and the interventions of the honored Gonzalo Suárez and the president Fernández Méndez-Leite. In seniority we found substance. On the other hand, the poor gift of gab and the precarious eloquence of many actors is disappointing, even when they have to limit themselves to pronouncing a couple of sentences. The total black of the suits in the front row was an allegory of the boredom and monotony of the show. They were Goya Awards without any bright moments.