If movies are to be believed, men are only capable of bonding or showing emotion in response to war and death. This oversimplification is of course total nonsense when measured against real life, but it nevertheless saturates the bulk of movie world masculinity. Director Neus Ballús makes a noble attempt at changing this perception with her terrific film The Odd-Job Men, about a trio of handymen who squabble daily about matters big and small.
Valero and Pep (Valero Escolar and Pep Sarrà) are veteran maintenance men working in suburban Barcelona. With Pep retiring soon, Valero is forced to take on a new hire — Moroccan immigrant Moha (Mohamed Mellali), whose work ethic and ability he distrusts, among other things. Told over the course of one work week, The Odd-Job Men subtly demonstrates the complexities of male companionship with all the self-consciousness, insecurity, and stubbornness that exists within each of us (whether we admit it or not) on full display.
Without flash or fanfare, Ballús tackles complicated subjects like racism and ageism, but also how inclusiveness, diversity, and acceptance are the keys to a healthy mind and community. Her film looks like a documentary and, perhaps because of this, it’s easy to feel like we’re being let in on a secret — and maybe we are. The Odd-Job Men might not solve all the world’s problems, but its warmth and humor are a welcomed shift in the masculine film dynamic.
The Odd-Job Men is having its U.S. premiere at the 57th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
Originally published by ASHEVILLE MOVIES.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.