VOLVEREIS (The Other Way Around)

This film starts with a simple premise: a couple living in Madrid, Ale (Itsaso Arana) and Alex (Vito Sanz), announce their separation after 14 years together, reassuring friends and family that they are "fine"—so fine, in fact, that they decide to celebrate their breakup with a party. The film turns around the traditional norms of a romantic comedy, creating a story about a separation feel like the preparation for a wedding. What begins as a strange, playful concept, unfolds into a profound meditation on relationships, time, and storytelling.

Jonas Trueba’s naturalistic style, which he has shaped throughout his filmography, shines in the story. The camera follows the characters with an almost documentary-like gaze, capturing the rhythms of everyday life. Far from the glossy, touristy image often seen in cinema, the city of Madrid is lived-in and intimate, with its streets and markets bathed in sunlight and bright colors evoking a sense of nostalgia and familiarity. This authenticity extends to the film’s construction. The script of Volveréis was co-written by Jonás Trueba and the lead actors, Itsaso Arana and Vito Sanz, who have worked together in several projects before. This collaborative approach, built on trust and familiarity, produces a narrative that feels organic and authentic. Moreover, Trueba incorporates real-life elements, such as Vito’s actual footage from a trip to Paris and more importantly, the casting of his own father as Ale’s father, who is the one who came up with the strange concept of making party out of a breakup, ‘like a wedding but the other way around’.

Repetition is the film's driving force, both as a narrative device and as a thematic exploration. Ale and Alex repeatedly tell their friends and family about their decision to separate, and each time they share the news, it’s accompanied by the same catchphrase: “We’re fine, we’ll remain friends, we’re going to celebrate.” This repetition becomes almost ritualistic, like a mantra they use to try to convince themselves as much as others. Yet, with each interaction, the cracks in their resolve become more apparent. For Ale and Alex are not acting like a couple that is going to break up, but almost like if they were still together; they live together, sleep in the same bed, and have the same friends. This repetition also serves to highlight the reactions of those around them. Some are supportive, but most are skeptical about the party. Ale's father doesn't quite believe it either - ‘You will come back’-, as he doesn't even remember that he was the author of that occurrence in the first place.

Vito Sanz (Alex) and Itsaso Arana (Ale) 

However, the director’s proposal goes beyond a reflection on sentimental relationships - an idea that emerges parallel to the plot is the relationship between cinema and life, between fiction and reality. In the story, Ale is a director and Vito is an actor in a film that they are making together and that is currently in the editing phase. As the story progresses, the lines between their real lives and the film they’re making begin to blur. The film they’re shooting becomes a reflection of their own struggles, doubts, and emotions, creating a hall-of-mirrors effect where it’s unclear where reality ends and fiction begins. Editing is a process of repetition, revision, and reinterpretation—much like how we process our own lives. Scenes are revisited, cut, and rearranged, just as memories and emotions are revisited and reexamined over time. The party itself is only shown for a couple of minutes. Alex starts making a speech that is interrupted by Fernando Trueba, in front of a screen as if he was outside of the scene, who screams “CUT!”. And then the shot ends.

Jonás Trueba (director), Fernando Trueba (padre), and Itsaso Arana (Ale)

Moreover, Volveréis is filled with references to literature, music, and cinema. Jonás Trueba has spoken about the significance of the connection between the film and in his own life. “There’s something about transmission that’s important in the film,” he explains, “that idea of passing down books, music, or ideas—something my father does often and that I wanted to reflect.”  One of the film’s most notable cinematic discussions revolves around 10, the Perfect Woman (Blake Edwards, 1979). The discussion begins with Ale criticizing how the film makes the woman just an object of the male gaze, who exists only in relation to the male character. Alex, on the other hand, sees it differently: he believes the film gives both characters the same protagonism and that the main idea of the movie is to talk about the midlife crisis and, ultimately, a celebration of marriage. This is an interesting scene because it serves as both a meta-cinematic commentary and a reflection on their relationship. Firstly, the discussion mirrors current real-world conversations about cancel culture, revisionism, and the evolving perception of classical films. Secondly, it serves as one of the few moments where Ale and Vito directly argue, revealing the emotional undercurrents of their breakup: They are two people who are having a bad time, for whom a gender discussion ends up being an identity crisis for their own problems. ‘It looks like a comedy, but it is really a drama, a drama about marriage and the middle age crisis’ (Volveréis).

Itsaso Arana (Ale)