Presented at the latest edition of the BCN Film Fest, Eloy Calvo's first feature, The Van, is set to hit Spanish cinemas on 20 June, distributed by Sideral. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Martin Tognola and Ramón Pardina, the film pays tribute to the imaginative power of drawing, which is not only its starting point but also the medium used by its central character. Animation is interwoven into a story that, as the title suggests, unfolds largely inside an old, analogue white van.

There survives the protagonist of this tale about overcoming adversity, an urban antihero portrayed by Pol López, the actor who impressed in Suro [+leggi anche:
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scheda series]. Here, he plays Oso, a divorced man in his forties, unemployed and living in precarious conditions. He owns nothing but his van, where his seven-year-old daughter also sleeps during the weeks he has custody. While struggling to overcome his financial difficulties — taking on the kind of menial work that our capitalist society has come to normalise — he finds himself surrounded by friends and neighbours who are just as hungry for companionship as he is.

What we’re presented with, then, is a feature film that blends social and family drama with a comedy of manners — and, at times, absurdity (a job interview for a delivery worker is a prime example). Featuring a reluctant social outcast: a man who, without intending to, finds himself excluded from a society that refuses to accept anyone without a home, a job, or a healthy bank balance… as if achieving all that were so simple!

Eloy Calvo, who is deeply devoted to each and every one of his characters — from a heavy metal fan with alopecia to a retiree addicted to nature documentaries and magazines — portrays this Peter Pan figure, weighed down by more than one emotional burden, with both sensitivity and respect. This is a man with many wounds still to heal and problems yet to solve, all while trying to be a fun, loving and attentive father.

It is in these moments of play shared with his daughter that animation floods the screen, giving the film a magical, dreamlike and imaginative quality. Much like Roberto Benigni's Life Is Beautiful, it becomes a powerful unifying force and a shield against hardship, as the action takes place in the less photogenic neighbourhoods of Barcelona, far removed from the city depicted in films by Woody Allen or Cesc Gay. And it is here, pushed to the brink, that the protagonist begins to make peace with himself — and with a world that, until now, has shown him little kindness.

The Van was produced by Teidees with the participation of RTVE and 3CAT. Its international sales are managed by Sideral.