Off Course

Off Course (Perdiendo el norte, 2015) is a Spanish tragicomedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Nacho G. Velilla. Hugo and Braulio are two Madrid graduates whose country offers them nothing but the unemployment line. A TV ad swears Germany is crying out for skilled workers. So they pack up and head for Berlin.

The German dream turns into a cramped shared room, dead-end shifts and a language that simply won't stick. Hugo falls for someone, Braulio clings to what's left of his pride, and a whole crowd of fellow Spaniards is caught in the same trap. Yon González, Julián López, Blanca Suárez and Úrsula Corberó lead the cast, with veterans Javier Cámara, Carmen Machi and José Sacristán filling out the older generation.

The film came straight out of real life. After the 2008 crash, thousands of degree-holding Spaniards left to wash dishes across Europe, and the tagline "Based on Hundreds of True Stories (Unfortunately)" isn't really a gag. Velilla makes you laugh, then knocks the wind out of you. Stream Off Course (2015) online on iFILM.