The good-hearted Catalan farce Waiting for Dali features plenty of delectable cuisine and a reclusive surrealist.
There’s turbulence in1972 Barcelona as the Franco dictatorship nears its end, and the two young Catalan hotheads Alberto (Pol López) and François (Nicolas Cazalé) must flee the Guardia Civil. The father of François’ girlfriend owns a restaurant in the quiet beach town of Cadaqués, so they seek sanctuary there, along with Alberto’s much more responsible brother Fernando (Ivan Massagué). They find a battalion of foreign hippies living on the beach at Cadaqués, not far from the town’s most famous resident, the artist Salvador Dali.
Restauranteur Jules (José Garcia) worships Dali and has turned his restaurant into a Dali shrine. Unfortunately, Dali has never deigned to patronize the bistro, and Jules is obsessed with getting Dali to visit, both to meet his idol and to leverage the celebrity cachet. Jules has the good fortunate to have Fernando, an innovative and talented chef, fall into his lap.
Jules, like Alberto and François, is always a few seconds away from a meltdown. Fernando, as passionate as he is about cuisine, is restrained, disciplined and taciturn. Fernando attracts the interest of Jules’ fiery daughter Lola (Clara Ponsot). Alas, Lola finds herself amidst men acting stupidly – her father is on a madman’s quest, her boyfriend François can’t manage any of his impulses and Fernando can’t get out of his own way and woo her.
Will Jules ever meet Dali? Will François and Alberto idiotically get themselves arrested? Will Lola choose Fernando over François? And what about those hippies? Antics ensue, including one very funny face-shaming with permanent marker.
Clara Ponsot is strikingly vibrant and sexy as Lola.
Waiting for Dali was written and directed by David Pujol, who has directed documentaries on Cadaqués, the nearby restaurant El Bulli and three docs on Dali. This is his third narrative feature.
Waiting for Dali is now available on digital.