Ay, Carmela!

Ay, Carmela! (¡Ay, Carmela!, 1990) is Carlos Saura's tragicomedy, available to watch online on iFILM. The Spanish Civil War is raging. Carmela, Paulino and their mute helper Gustavete are traveling performers who entertain Republican troops at the front, squeezing songs and gags between the shelling.

One wrong turn in the dark sends the trio across enemy lines, straight into Francoist hands. A firing squad looks certain — until a theatre-loving Italian officer offers a bargain. Stage a propaganda revue that mocks the Republic, and the three of them walk free. Carmela takes the deal to survive, but the stage and her conscience pull in opposite directions. Carmen Maura plays it from broad slapstick to frozen silence, and the laughter in the room dies mid-breath.

Adapted from José Sanchis Sinisterra's play, the film swept the very first Goya Awards, taking thirteen prizes including Best Film. Saura tells the war not through battles but through one small acting troupe forced to choose between their skins and their dignity. Strong stuff for anyone who likes a comedy that turns, without warning, into tragedy. Stream Ay, Carmela! (1990) online on iFILM.