El Calentito (2005)

Madrid, the early 80s. Sara’s a girl from a nice, middle-class family, a good student who nevertheless longs for a little bit of excitement. One night she sneaks out of her house and heads to El Calentito, the hottest of the happening clubs that form the bedrock of that explosion of art, culture, and nightlife known as la movida. Slated to perform is a trio called the Siux, but as they’re about to go on one of their members quits. Desperate for a replacement, the remaining Siux ask Sara to perform with them for the night. It’s beyond a dream come true — and since the Siux have an interview with a record producer the next day, maybe even a future. Chus Gutierrez’s buoyant, perceptive new film captures not only the spirit of freedom that characterized those first post-Franco years but also its still fragile nature.