Ambición Sin Limites

FRIENDS HAVE REASONS provides a contemporary glimpse at a group of struggling thirty-somethings navigating the trials and tribulations of adulthood and romance while trying to get ahead in modern Madrid. Carlos (Sergi Calleja), Santiago (Joel Joan), and Marta (Marta Belaustegui), three old friends from college, meet monthly at their favorite restaurant to catch up on the ins and outs of their professional and personal lives. Carlos is an eccentric computer whiz, floundering with a start-up company that he has dreamed about for years. Santiago and Marta are young professionals doing well at their boring but steady careers. One afternoon at their monthly meal Carlos asks his close friends for a large loan to go towards his company and what begins as an innocent favor turns into a long-term lesson in betrayal and jealousy as months go by and Carlos is unable to repay his debts. The money takes on a persona of its own, causing their various relationships to dissolve under the mounting pressure. Ultimately, the looming debt forces the trio to examine their own individual desires, insecurities, and unfullfillments as they struggle to maintain their friendships. This film, based on the novel LA CONQUISTA DE L'AIRE by Belén Gopegui, is a witty and wry comedy reminiscent of contemporary American dramas KICKING AND SCREAMING and YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.

This film was screened at American Cinemateque in Los Angeles as part of a festival of contemporary films from Spain.