Oliver's Universe (Spanish: El universo de Óliver)[1] is a 2022 coming-of-age film directed by Alexis Morante [es] which stars Rubén Fulgencio as the title character alongside Salva Reina, María León and Pedro Casablanc. It adapts the novel El universo de Óliver by Miguel Ángel González Carrasco.
Set in 1985, with the backdrop of the approach of Comet Halley to Earth, the plot tracks the mishaps of Óliver, an overly imaginative tween, who, having just moved together with his parents to the home of crazed grandfather Gabriel near Algeciras, seeks the latter's help in order to cope with his problems.[2][3]
An adaptation of the novel El universo de Óliver by Miguel Ángel González,[5] the screenplay was penned by Miguel Ángel González, Alexis Morante and Raúl Santos.[2] The film was produced by Pecado Films (José Alba) and La Claqueta PC (Olmo Figueredo González-Quevedo) alongside Sinehan Capital AIE.[5] It had the participation of RTVE, Canal Sur and CreaSGR, funding from ICO, and support from Creative Europe's MEDIA, Junta de Andalucía and Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar [es].[6] It was shot in Campo de Gibraltar in 2021.[7]
Bunbury performed a theme for the film: "Esperando una señal", produced by Rafa Sardina and otherwise also featuring Mike Garson (piano), Carmine Rojas (bass), Rafael Padilla (percussionist), Victor Indrizzo (drums) and Gabi Martínez (guitar).[8]
The film was pre-screened on 7 May 2022 at the Algeciras' Teatro Municipal Florida.[9][10] Distributed by Filmax, the film had a wide release in Spanish theatres on 13 May 2022.[11]
Sergio F. Pinilla of Cinemanía rated the film with 4 out of 5 stars assessing that it blends the fantasy imagery of films from the 1980s with the family portrait of a society and era, bringing in a universe in "which children and adults, gitanos and payos, the unfortunate and the fortunate, live side by side and collide".[12]
Pablo Vázquez of Fotogramas rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering that it allows a committed cast to shine while the overall product perhaps languishes compared to other works, highlighting "a gigantic Casablanc and a no less brilliant Reina" and the subplot pertaining the girl respectively as the best and worst things about the film.[13]
