That Was Life

{{Infobox film

| name = That Was Life

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|es|La vida era eso|nolink=y}}

| image = That Was Life poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = David Martín de los Santos

| writer = David Martín de los Santos

| producer = Damián París
José Carlos Conde

| starring = Petra Martínez
Anna Castillo

| music =

| cinematography = Santiago Racaj

| editing =

| studio = Lolita Films
Mediaevs
Magnética Cine
Smiz&Pixel

| distributor = Elamedia Estudios

| released = {{Film date|2020|11||SEFF|2021|12|10|Spain}}

| runtime = 109 minutes

| country = Spain

| language = Spanish

| budget =

| gross =

}}

That Was Life ({{langx|es|La vida era eso}}) is a 2020 Spanish drama film directed and written by David Martín de los Santos. It stars Petra Martínez and Anna Castillo as two Spanish immigrants who form a friendship after meeting in a hospital in Belgium.

Plot

María and Verónica, two Spanish immigrants of different generations, meet in a hospital in Belgium where they form a friendship after an unexpected event. This leads María to embark on a journey of self discovery through the Spain she left many decades ago.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Petra Martínez as María
Anna Castillo as Verónica
Florin Piersic Jr. as Luca
Ramón Barea as José
Daniel Morilla as Juan
María Isabel Díaz Lago as Iloveny
Pilar Gómez as Conchi
Annick Weerts as Elisa
Christophe Miraval as Pedro
Maarten Dannenberg as Julio
Alina Nastase as Cristina

}}

Production

The film began shooting in May 2019 in different locations of Spain in Almeria and Cabo de Gata, later in Ghent, Belgium. Santiago Racaj was the cinematographer and Javier Chavarría was the production designer. Other credits include Tonucha Vidal (casting director), Eva Valiño (sound) and Miguel Doblado (editing).{{cite web|url=https://www.cineytele.com/2019/05/27/empieza-en-almeria-el-rodaje-de-la-vida-era-eso-que-protagonizan-petra-martinez-y-anna-castillo/|title=Empieza en Almería el rodaje de ‘La vida era eso’, que protagonizan Petra Martínez y Anna Castillo|website=CineyTele|date=May 27, 2019|accessdate=November 26, 2021|language=es}}

Release

The film was screened at the 17th Seville European Film Festival (SEFF), where it won the ASECAN award for Best Film and Best Actress for Petra Martínez.{{cite web|title="La vida era eso", premio ASECAN a la Mejor Película del Festival de Sevilla|url=https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/cultura/la-vida-era-eso-premio-asecan-a-mejor-pelicula-del-festival-de-sevilla/10005-4393846|website=Agencia EFE|date=November 13, 2020|accessdate=November 26, 2021|language=es}}{{cite web|title=Petra Martínez, por "La vida era eso", premio a la Mejor Actriz en el Festival de Sevilla|url=https://www.canalsur.es/rtva/petra-martinez-por-la-vida-era-eso-premio-a-la-mejor-actriz-en-el-festival-de-sevilla/1651504.html|website=Canal Sur|date=November 14, 2020|accessdate=November 26, 2021|language=es}} The film had to postpone its release in cinemas several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately being scheduled to be released on December 10, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://cinemagavia.es/pelicula-la-vida-era-eso-estreno-cine/|title="La vida era eso" drama vitalista que llega a los cines el 10 de diciembre|website=Cinemagravia|date=May 17, 2021|accessdate=November 26, 2021|language=es}}

Critical reception

The performance of Martínez was met with acclaim. Demetrios Matheou from Screen International wrote that "Martinez, well into her seventies when she shot this, gives a strong, minimalist performance".{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/that-was-life-transilvania-review/5161862.article|title=‘That Was Life’: Transilvania Review|website=Screen International|first=Demetrios|last=Matheou|date=July 23, 2021|accessdate=November 26, 2021}} Writing for Cineuropa, Alfonso Rivera commented that "David Martín de los Santos makes his debut in fiction with a humble, emotional and intimate film, that supports its subtle theme over the experienced performance of the great Petra Martínez".{{cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/es/newsdetail/394743/|title=Crítica: La vida era eso|website=|first=Alfonso|last=Rivera|date=September 11, 2021|accessdate=November 26, 2021|language=es}}

Accolades

| align = "center" rowspan = "5" | 2021 || 27th Forqué Awards || Best Actress (film) || Petra Martínez || {{nom}} || {{Cite web|url=https://www.larazon.es/cultura/20211211/to2baxwcfbhuxjuzijl4glrpje.html|website=La Razón|title=Lista completa de ganadores de los Premios Forqué 2021|first=Matías G.|last=Rebolledo|date=11 December 2021}}

| rowspan = "4" | 34th ASECAN Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || {{nom}} || rowspan = "4" | {{Cite web|url=https://cineconn.es/ganadores-de-los-premios-asecan-2021/|website=Cine con Ñ|title=‘La hija’, mejor película andaluza del año en los Premios ASECAN 2021|date=18 December 2021}}

| Best Director || David Martín de los Santos || {{nom}}

| Best Screenplay || David Martín de los Santos || {{nom}}

| Best Actress || Petra Martínez || {{won}}

| align = "center" rowspan = "16" | 2022 || rowspan = "2" | 9th Feroz Awards || Best Actress (film) || Petra Martínez || {{won}} || rowspan = "2" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/palmares-completo-de-los-premios-feroz-zaragoza-2022-4948808/|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es|date=30 January 2022|title=Palmarés completo de los Premios Feroz Zaragoza 2022}}

| Best Supporting Actress (film) || Anna Castillo || {{nom}}

| rowspan = "8" | 1st Carmen Awards || Best Fiction Feature Film || La vida era eso AIE || {{nom}} || rowspan = "8" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.audiovisual451.com/alegria-y-sevillanas-de-brooklyn-las-mas-nominadas-a-los-primeros-premios-carmen-del-cine-andaluz/|website=Audiovisual451|title=‘Alegría y ‘Sevillanas de Brooklyn’, las más nominadas a los primeros Premios Carmen del Cine Andaluz|date=14 December 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.audiovisual451.com/la-hija-de-manuel-martin-cuenca-coronada-en-la-primera-edicion-de-los-premios-carmen-del-cine-andaluz/|website=Audiovisual451|title=‘La hija’ de Manuel Martín Cuenca, coronada en la primera edición de los Premios Carmen del cine andaluz|date=31 January 2022}}

| Best Screenplay || David Martín de los Santos || {{nom}}

| Best Production Supervision || Damián Paris || {{nom}}

| Best Actress || Petra Martínez || {{won}}

| Best Original Song || Estrella Morente & Fernando Vacas || {{nom}}

| Best New Director || David Martín de los Santos || {{won}}

| Best Editing || Miguel Doblado || {{nom}}

| Best Supporting Actress || Pilar Gómez || {{nom}}

| rowspan = "2" | 77th CEC Medals || Best New Director || David Martín de los Santos || {{won|{{Abbrv|Won|Shared with Miguel Ángel Muñoz ("100 días con la tata")}}}} || rowspan = "2" | {{Cite web|url=https://cineconn.es/medallas-cec-2022-ganadores/|website=Cine con Ñ|title=‘El amor en su lugar’ arrasa en las Medallas CEC con hasta seis premios, todos los principales|date=10 February 2022}}

| Best Actress || Petra Martínez || {{nom}}

| rowspan = "2" | 36th Goya Awards || Best Actress || Petra Martínez || {{nom}} || rowspan = "2" | {{cite web|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es|title=Palmarés completo de los Premios Goya 2022: 'El buen patrón', mejor película|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/palmares-en-directo-completo-de-los-premios-goya-2022-4955257/|date=12 February 2022}}

| Best New Director || David Martín de los Santos || {{nom}}

| rowspan = "2" | 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actress in a Leading Role || Petra Martínez || {{won}} || rowspan = "2" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.fotogramas.es/noticias-cine/a38998412/union-de-actores-2022-nominaciones/|website=Fotogramas|title=Premios Unión de Actores 2022: 'El buen patrón' arrasa entre los premiados|date=15 March 2022|first=María|last=Aller}}

| Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role || Anna Castillo || {{nom}}