Although ‘Tomorrow is today’ is far from perfect, it is a small miracle of Spanish audiovisuals, which sometimes feel a bit stagnant among the prestigious dramas, the films that explain our history and the comedies to the Santiago Segura style. I know it seems like a paradox or a way to excuse a bad deed, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Amazon Prime Video tape is a project born of love towards an idea that has not been sufficiently exploited in national cinema: time travel.
Between two lands you are
I have to admit that the idea of seeing Nacho García Velilla as a director did not inspire much confidence in me. The creator of ‘7 lives’ has been in free fall since then, and films like ‘Villaviciosa next door’ or the most current ‘By the Hair: A Story of Self-Esteem’ did not give the feeling that something decent could come out of ‘ Tomorrow is today’. Nevertheless, a more elaborate script than in those tapes, some actors in a state of grace and some situations that have not already been seen are less hilarious, but in extremis, elevate it.
I have always been big fan of “fish out of water” who have to figure out how the world works after a temporary trip: a surprised Marty McFly watching the premiere of ‘Jaws 19’, wow. In this case it is inevitable to let out a giggle watching Carmen Machi discover the Satisfyer or Javier Gutiérrez hitting a mobile while trying to find the wheel to turn.
But, in addition, ‘Tomorrow is today’ practices something very necessary these days: the anti-nostalgia. The well-known “Oh, it’s just that in the past everything was better” becomes here, after a layer of modernity, a “The truth is that we are better than it seems”. It doesn’t go too deep either (it’s not even the intention), more focused on the gags and the resolution of the mystery, but enough to find an original and frankly refreshing speech.
Let’s go to the beach, the sun is warm
It may not be that important, but I have to get it out of my head: ‘Tomorrow is today’ has not very well calculated the time in which it takes place. His 1991 looks more like 1986, both for the visual style and for the references he uses (beyond the constant use of Héroes del Silencio and ‘Entre dos tierras’). It is very difficult for the viewer to locate himself: the nostalgia that he parodies (in a very successful way, by the way) is that of a few years ago, with some modern overtones that will make viewers frown longing for those times.
At the moment of truth, it doesn’t matter: the core of the movie is the one that happens in 2022, and all the part dedicated to the past is done as a simple addition (excessively long). At present, the plot is divided into two parts that, unfortunately, do not maintain the same level of interest: Pilar’s conversion into an empowered woman with friends, karaoke and Satisfyer in hand is much more fun, interesting and groundbreaking than that of José Luis, determined to discover the mystery that led to the death of his daughter and for which he joins the overacting Silvia Abril and Antonia San Juan who they seem to be in a ‘Late motiv’ sketch or an episode of ‘La que se avecina’ rather than in a movie.
It’s not just his fault: ‘Tomorrow is today’ has a serious problem with its characters, which is well defined but which it does not know how to evolve. The evolution of the main couple occurs at the stroke of a forced twist, the protagonists change their personalities according to what suits the plot and the final reveal about the mystery doesn’t feel right.
It’s clear what they want to do, and the intentions are good, but it ends up being somewhat incoherent and confusing. A couple of twists to the script for, instead of surprising, making us suspicious, would have been nice. In the eternal Hitchcockian debate about the bomb under the seat, Velilla opted for the explosion to occur without having heard a “tick-tock” from afar. Surprising, yes, but at the price of breaking the suspension of disbelief pact with the viewer (if the fact that a mobile continues to work a week later without turning off has not broken it a few minutes before).
What happens to us in the future? Do we become assholes?
Velilla’s address does what he can with the limited resources he has: the action scenes are an example of how not even the editing can save a bad planning (be careful with that ascent of the Ferris wheel that tries, with very short shots, so that the lack of budget is not noticed), but, in return, context shots from 1991 are great and the visual effects are used effectively. Solve the ballot.
But any small technical setback ends up being forgiven thanks to a cast that, for the most part, elevates the film. Of course, the couple of Javier Gutiérrez and Carmen Machi stand out, who inevitably raise the hilarity only with those trademark gestures and intonations, and the mixture of new faces like Asier Rikarte or the wonderful Elena de Lara with other more television shows, such as Mina El Hammani and Carla Díaz (both from the ‘Elite’ school).
The good idea of releasing it directly on streaming means that you have before you a perfect film for a Saturday afternoon with the family, without major pretensions. It may not go down in history or we will remember a single one of his dialogues as soon as we turn it off, but at least he has dared to tell other types of stories, to introduce science fiction into a homeland moviegoing ecosystem more and more attached to reality. And for that alone it’s worth it.