Hola, ¿estás sola?

Hola, Estás Sola? (1995) Is the directorial debut of Iciar Bolaín, known for her films Take My Eyes and Even The Rain. This movie features Silke as La Niña and Candela Peña as Trini, two twenty-year old best friends moving from city to city around Spain on a whim, making and breaking relationships as they go. They encounter La Niña's mother, Mariló, played by Elena Irureta, Pepe, played by Álex Angulo, and a Russian named Olaf who doesn't speak Spanish (played by Aracdi Levin). From Valladolid, to Madrid, to la Costa de Sol, and back to Madrid they do what they want, with their friendship remaining the only constant throughout. Primary themes include friendship, independence, youth, and mother-daughter relationships.

The film was released in 1995 and takes place around the same time. The 90s are easily identifiable by Silke's haircut, low rise jeans, and baggy red T-shirt, as well as Trini's bright colors, scrunchies, and choker necklaces. The 90s were an active period for Spanish tourism after Spain integrated with the European Union in 1986. This boom in tourism is shown in the movie during Trini and Niña's work at a beach resort where they lead vacation activities for English Speaking tourists. We also see graffiti in Madrid referencing "el paro," high levels of unemployment which started to lower in the late 90s and early 2000s. These girls seem to have no problem finding assorted jobs in the service industry, and Mariló even starts her own business, but they certainly don't have money to spare. They live in an apartment sparsely furnished by dumpster diving and steal glasses for their kitchen, but none of this seems to matter in the face of the thrill of independence.

The cinematography is bright and can be divided into two foci, intimate conversations in the home and broad moving landscapes, often including trains which capture the journey and physical movement of the film. The music is equally light and full of movement. The acting is frank and intends to show carelessness of youth, Bollain wanted to show a realistic experience of young women in 1990s Spain. Overall, the creative aspects of this film come together to show a lighthearted exploration of youth and modern society as newly independent women.

If you grew up in the 90s, I have no doubt that this film will bring up some nostalgia. It's a lighthearted coming of age film that makes you want to travel the world. I would recommend this film to any fans of Bollaín's other work. As her first film, It offers a window into her self-discovery as a director. The film is fun, but the plot is not particularly exciting. This might be intentional, because it intends to show the lack of planning and regard for the future in these twenty-year old minds. I am glad I watched it, but I don't feel drawn to watch it again any time soon.