David Trueba directs this biography nominated for 11 Goya awards and finally deservedly winner of the Goya for best actor, David Verdaguer, narrated in a tone of romantic drama sprinkled with the humor of his jokes, the life of comedian Eugenio during the sixties and seventies . Particularly focusing on the years that he shared life with his wife Conchita. It begins in the late 60s, Eugenio (David Vergader) is a young jeweler who falls in love with Conchita (Carolina Yuste) and the two form a musical duo. When she left music, he began as a comedian and over time became one of the most important comedians in Spain.
The title of the film "Saben aquell" addresses how Eugenio started the jokes on him: "You know what...". Eugenio, who is not overtly mentioned in the film, collected around 15,000 different jokes for his live performances. Most of them were recorded and compiled on cassettes for sale. As Trueba, also co-writer with Alberto Espinosa, explains, this is a film about humor and survival. Eugenio was one of the most popular comedians of the Spanish Transition. Everything about his physical appearance and appearance showed that he was at odds with humor: a very serious man, without gestures, perpetrated through smoked glasses and a black shirt, with a smoking cigarette behind a microphone, but despite all these inconveniences would achieve great success, becoming him the culprit of making an entire country laugh. This film 'You know that' tries to establish the answers of this great comedian, answering the question: What was hiding inside him?
At the same time, we are given brief panorama of life in the sixties and seventies, during the Franco regime and the social or economic limitations in which people lived at that time and evoking the death of Francisco Franco. Tribute is also paid to artists at the time, such as the deceased singers Nino Bravo singing the classic ¨A kiss and a flower¨, Cecilia, the comedian Gila and the presenter Lara Valenzuela makes a cameo playing her mother Laura Valenzuela. Valenzuela was not only one of Spain's most famous actresses since the 1960s, but also one of Spain's first television presenters. The comedian and actor Pedro Ruiz appears imitating Adolfo Suárez and the actress and television presenter Mónica Randall makes a cameo playing herself. Spanish filmmaker Paco Plaza makes a cameo as Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, the producer and director of different programs and films for cinema and TV. And actress Miriam Diaz Aroca shows up presenting the contest '1, 2, 3 responda otra vez¨ impersonating the old presenter Myriam Gómez Kemp.
The film was convincingly directed by David Trueba, winning several awards and considerable public and critical success. David Trueba was born (1969) in Madrid, Spain. He was married to Ariadna Gil although today separated and is the younger brother of Fernando Trueba and brother-in-law of Cristina Huete who, together with Andrés Vicente Gómez, produced many of his films. David is an expert writer such as ¨ La ñiña de tus ojos (The Girl of Your Eyes)¨ Perdita Durango (1997). Known for comedies such as ¨La Buena Vida¨, ¨Masterpiece¨, ¨Madrid 1987¨, ¨Welcome Home¨ and of course his biggest hit: " Vivir es facil con los ojos cerrados" (2013), six Goyas went to this film attractively directed by Trueba, winning best film, director, screenplay, actor, breakthrough actor and soundtrack. Rating ¨Saben aquell¨ (2023): 6/10. Better than ordinary average. Well worth seeing.
