Mondays in the Sun

Mondays in the Sun (Los lunes al sol, 2002) is a Spanish social drama directed by Fernando León de Aranoa that you can watch online on iFILM. When a shipyard in northern Spain shuts down, a group of former dockworkers are left with nothing but free time and nowhere to put it. Javier Bardem leads the cast as Santa, the group's unofficial centre of gravity.

The men gather at a bar run by Rico — another ex-worker who managed to pivot. They drink, argue, and keep each other company through the slow grind of long-term unemployment. José's wife has a job; he doesn't, and it eats at him. Lino still puts on a tie for interviews nobody calls him back from. The film watches these men with patience and no appetite for easy resolution.

De Aranoa took home five Goya Awards for it, including Best Film and Best Actor for Bardem. The tagline earns its keep: "This film is not based on a real story. It is based on thousands." Stream Mondays in the Sun (2002) online on iFILM.