Sara (Juana Acosta) considers herself to be a modern woman – she holds a well-paying job at a successful insurance company, has a husband she adores, and traverses the Spanish night-life with an elegance only possessed by those who are fully-assured of their place in the world. However, this is all a façade, as deep within Sara is an anxious young woman who is yearning to break free of the confines she’s afflicted on herself. Suspecting that her marriage may be on the rocks, she decides to secretly seek out an alternative home, where she can retreat if her feelings are correct. She finds a gorgeous apartment in a coveted district, which is being sold for an unusually low price, which the real-estate agent claims is due to “the inconvenience”, which Sara soon learns is the apartment’s current occupant, septuagenarian Lola (Kiti Mánver), a foul-mouthed old woman who, in the words of those who know her, “smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish and has had three heart bypasses”. She is selling the apartment, but one of the conditions embedded in the contract is that Lola will be allowed to stay there until she dies. Normally, this would deter any logical person, but Sara isn’t one to miss an opportunity, and considering this woman is clearly so close to death, she may not need to wait for very long. Unbeknownst to her is the fact that Lola has no plans of going anywhere – despite her self-destructive behaviour, she has a lot of energy contained in her frail body, and she compensates for her health issues with a vivacity that begins to worry Sara, as it seems like this old lady is certainly not planning to die anytime soon. Moreover, regardless of how much effort she puts into distancing herself from the entire situation and choosing to just wait it out, Sara is perpetually harassed by the energetic Lola, who begins as a source of irritation, but gradually shows herself to be the friend Sara has been yearning for, teaching her some of life’s most difficult lessons, and being there when no one else is.

A brief glance at the premise and promotional material of One Careful Owner (Spanish: El inconveniente), you’d be led to believe that Bernabé Rico has made a bawdy, callous comedy about the conflict between a young woman and the older individual whose death she is dependent on – we’ve seen so many directors make bold statements on intergenerational conflict, often choosing to venture into very dark narrative territory as a means of shedding light on a particular issue. This isn’t entirely untrue – the director did put a great deal of effort into bringing this film to life, and putting together an outrageous dark comedy that takes a peculiar stance against some of life’s more difficult concepts. Yet, this isn’t nearly enough to explain everything this film stands for – and through blending absurdist comedy and heartfelt drama, Rico was able to effectively craft one of the year’s most surprising gems, a quaint and lovable comedy about two wayward souls meeting by accident, and discovering that they are exactly what the other needed in order to survive a hostile world. The fundamental premise does lend itself to a more improper execution, and the director certainly doesn’t waste any time in making sure that we understand exactly what it is that makes this such a funny film – but through contrasting that with a wholehearted compassion that elevates this far beyond just another ribald attempt to make light of death. Joining a tradition of films that includes many classics which address the inevitability of death through buoyant humour, One Careful Owner carefully utilizes its genuine enthusiasm to create a moving story that is all the more affecting when we come to understand that there is so much more depth to what Rico was doing here than we initially imagined. Unexpectedly complex, but driven more by the buoyancy of its intentions and the strengths of its story, the film traverses some tricky narrative territory, and emerges triumphant, proving that the journey often overtakes the destination in our memories.

When presented with a story like the one being told in One Careful Owner, we naturally tend to gravitate towards the characters, as they are pivotal in conveying both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the material. This is a very traditional two-hander comedy, following in the conventions of the odd-couple formula, whereby two wildly different individuals collide unexpectedly and immediately find themselves on different ends of the spectrum, but over time grow to cherish and respect each other, creating a symbiotic relationship where they learn from each other. Therefore, it stands to reason that the two women occupying these central roles had quite a challenge ahead of them – and they both deliver with a ferocity that no one could have possibly predicted, in all aspects of the story. Situating themselves on different parts of the spectrum, Juana Acosta and Kiti Mánver take on this story with gusto and dedication, with the former’s youthfulness and modern-world sophistication sharply contrasting with the lovable vulgarity of the latter. This formula works because audiences are naturally entranced by difference, so placing two very different characters in such close proximity, and creating circumstances where their particular perspective comes into conflict, is naturally going to lead to either hilarity or something more heartfelt. Both actresses are astonishing, and play off each other so well – Sara’s cold, clinical executive personality, a result of being a jet-setting socialite, gradually erodes, as does Lola’s reckless, devil-may-care attitude, which may be an irritant to those seeking something that doesn’t abide so closely to conventions, but still gives One Careful Owner such a fascinating perspective, placing these characters in unexpectedly moving situations that do manage to take even the most enthusiastic viewer by surprise. When working with two actresses so thoroughly committed to bringing these characters to the screen, a director immediately knows half the battle has already been won, with every moment of this film thriving on the exceptional work being down by these two actresses, who turn in some of the year’s most fascinating performances.

Films centred on unlikely friendships are a dime a dozen, with the most successful ones being those that have something more to say than the hackneyed portrayal of two polar opposites finding common ground. One Careful Owner doesn’t appear to be much based on its general premise – but where it lacks originality, it more than makes up for in the sheer ambition of how it approaches the material. Two-thirds of the film is solid and unassuming – it sets up a simple premise, and all of its jokes land perfectly, not making too much of an impression, but still giving us a fair share of valuable enjoyment, the kind we’d expect from a film like this. However, as it progresses and reaches the final act, the film gradually grows to be something far more complex, particularly when it becomes insistent on providing some deep insights into the relationship between these two characters. Its lustre of outrageous comedy conceals a sentimental soulfulness that carries so much more meaning than we’d anticipate from a film that initially promised to be nothing more than a diverting comedy about intergenerational conflict, and how important it is to take another’s perspective into account, even if they’re radically against everything we stand for. Every avenue we think this film is going to take in the final stretch is carefully avoided, and the post-climax coda is incredibly chilling, almost feeling out of place in a film that apparently constructed itself along the guidelines of a very conventional comedy. These deviations may be jarring, but they’re absolutely essential – and without giving too much away, the conclusion to the film is simultaneously bittersweet and heartening, a dose of electrifying comedic charm that counteracts the melancholy that informs much of the story, even if it isn’t particularly noticeable at first. It’s a masterful experiment in shifting tones without losing the charm it establishes from the outset, and immediately proclaims itself as a worthwhile piece of storytelling.

As we can tell from the Spanish title, One Careful Owner is a film centred on the idea of inconvenience. First embodied in the form of the boisterous Lola, the idea of discomfort and petty annoyance constantly comes into play throughout the film in numerous different ways – whether through the small bureaucratic procedures the protagonist has to take to secure her future home, or the more notable moments of irritation that come when she realizes that her life is gradually falling apart. It’s at these moments that we realize that the most bothersome aspects of life aren’t always those that we expect. Rico put together a rich, complex portrait of the human condition, which is shown through the lens of upbeat comedy, which in turn accentuates the underlying sadness that seeps through at various moments, and creates a multilayered tapestry of endearing comedy and bittersweet sadness, an oscillation between tones that gives the film the opportunity to make some bold statements without coming across as inauthentic or overwrought. It’s not a major work, and there are dozens of similarly-themed films that cover similar territory. Yet, not all of them have the same meandering charm that this one does, which it uses to its absolute benefit, gradually dismantling expectations for the sake of giving the viewer a thought-provoking comedy that doesn’t just intend to keep us entertained, but also engage us in a universally-resonant story that touches on some themes the vast majority of us will experience one day, if we haven’t already. Life-affirming, hilariously irreverent and moving beyond belief, One Careful Owner may be about a series of inconveniences, but there has rarely been a more lovely film on the subject before.