Despite a global pandemic and an uncertain film industry, Natalie Morales is having one of the best years of her career. Not only did she make her directorial debut with the really solid comedy, “Plan B” (which we included in our Best of 2021 So Far list), earlier this year, but the actress-turned-filmmaker already is set to release her second directorial effort, “Language Lessons,” this fall.
Technically, “Language Lessons” is her true directorial debut, considering it was debuted before “Plan B” at this year’s SXSW. However, let’s just say both are her debut, as these films are very different beasts. Whereas “Plan B” is a raucous teen road trip comedy, the trailer for “Language Lessons” shows this new film is more of a feel-good drama about a man who is given a bunch of online Spanish lessons as a gift, which he uses to learn the language and actually develop a friendship with his tutor. The two’s relationship blossoms as they grow closer despite being a world apart in reality.
READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2021, So Far
As mentioned, “Language Lessons” is directed by Natalie Morales. She co-wrote the feature with her co-star, Mark Duplass. The feature debuted at this year’s SXSW where it won the Narrative Spotlight Audience Award.
In our review of the film from SXSW, we complimented the acting and care that was put into the acting and writing, but the Zoom-iness of the whole thing rubbed us the wrong way. We said, “Duplass’ Spanish is good (a nice plus), and the movie’s intentions are in the right place; it’s warm, warm-hearted, and even mildly bittersweet, but in short, no more Zoom movies, please, and thanks.”
“Language Lessons” hits theaters on September 10. You can watch the new trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
When Adam’s (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he’s unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño—but do you really know someone just because you’ve experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest, and at times darkly funny, LANGUAGE LESSONS is a disarmingly moving exploration of platonic love.
