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Parents' Guide to

The Motive (El Autor)

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Spanish dark comedy has nudity, sex, language.

Movie NR 2018 112 minutes
The Motive (El Autor) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • The Motive (El Autor) Movie: Scene #1
  • The Motive (El Autor) Movie: Scene #2
  • The Motive (El Autor) Movie: Scene #3

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What's the Story?

THE MOTIVE tells of Alvaro, an office worker in Seville, Spain, who's fed up with his boring job and dreams of being a serious writer. He reaches the breaking point when his wife receives a prestigious literary prize for a book Alvaro thinks is drivel, and his wound gets a heavy dose of salt in it when he accidentally discovers his wife with another man. Told to take some time off work to get his head together, Alvaro rents an apartment on his own and devotes himself to writing "real" literature. Writer's block and lack of talent get in the way until Alvaro starts paying attention to his new neighbors: the immigrant couple from Mexico, the old soldier, the building caretakers. He gets positive feedback when he writes out his neighbors' conversations and lives. But what can he do when his characters don't cooperate with where Alvaro wants the story to go?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Strong performances by a talented cast bring a spark to this darkly comic character study of a talentless hack, and the tight script quickly draws the viewer into the well-structured story. The Motive manages to maintain interest and suspense as we watch Alvaro make worse decisions at every turn. Director Manuel Martín Cuenca wisely stays mostly out of the way, letting the script and the talent do their jobs.

Gently paced and quiet in tone, one or two moments do start to drag, but the story soon picks back up and draws you back in. The adult themes explored, comical negative models and messages, and brief but graphic sexual content make it best for older teens and up.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the sexual content in The Motive. Why have nudity at all? Is it a big deal? What's OK to show in movies and on TV?

  • We only see other characters through Alvaro's eyes. Is he right about any of them? Is he wrong about all of them? What other movies or TV shows have you seen with "unreliable narrators"?

  • What are some of your favorite movies in Spanish, or any other language besides English? What do you like about them? How are they different from Hollywood movies?

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