Tea & Sangría

An Englishman gives up everything to live with his Spanish girlfriend in Madrid, and a romantic comedy of cross-cultural misunderstanding ensues after things don't work out and he becomes stranded in the city. Writer/producer/director Peter Domankiewicz shot this semi-autobiographical tale on a tiny budget, and also takes the central role, where his lack of leading-man charisma rather scuppers the film's chances. The notion that this unprepossessing bumbler should have sundry Spanish females running after him is supposed to be amusing, yet lacks the basic credibility required to keep us interested over a rather sluggish running time. As such, there's little at stake in whether our man will repair relations with volatile Angela Boix, who brought him to the city in the first place. It's all a bit third-division Woody Allen, but at least the remaining Spanish-speaking cast prove an endearing lot, from the near-unhinged Athletico Madrid-supporting company boss, to Domankiewicz's likeable new flatmates, who style themselves The Brotherhood of the Broken-hearted.