Bicycles Are for the Summer

Las bicicletas son para el verano

Jaime Chávarri, Spain, 1984

104 mins

7.4 / 10 (46)

Drama History War

Synopsis

In Spanish Civil War-era Madrid, Luisito, the son of an upper-middle-class family, desperately wants a new bicycle despite having failed his exams. However, the war forces his parents to delay the purchase. But Luisito’s wait, along with the war, will drag on longer than anyone expects.

MUBI's take

Amid the creeping fear and violence of the Spanish Civil War, a Madrilenian family finds ways to survive in this vibrant coming-of-age drama, exquisitely adapted from Fernando Fernán-Gómez’s classic play. At turns poignant and nostalgic, the film stars Victoria Abril and Amparo Soler Leal.