Barcelona’s accommodation crisis and the challenges of single motherhood are central in “I Always Sometimes,” an compelling new drama series that debuted on Movistar Plus+ on 23 April before launching internationally at Canneseries on 25 April. Created by writers Marta Bassols and Marta Loza, the six-episode half-hour series follows Laura, a woman navigating motherhood whilst working to obtain affordable housing in a rapidly gentrifying city. Produced by renowned directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo—known for “Veneno” and “La Mesías”—the drama offers a tender yet honest examination of current economic hardship and the emotional upheaval of early adult life, anchoring its story in the genuine challenges facing single mothers and fathers across present-day Spain.
A Love Story That Commences Where Blissful Finales Diminish
The series begins with a passionate affair that seems bound for success. Laura, a festival organiser from Berlin, meets Rubén, a Barcelona bar owner, at the city’s renowned Sonar music festival. Their connection is instant and captivating—they spend nights strolling through Barcelona, quoting Rilke to one another, attending raves on Montjuïc, and enjoying intimate moments in chic venues. When Rubén suggests that Laura move in with him, the outlook seems bright and full of possibility, the kind of fairy-tale beginning that viewers recognise from countless romantic narratives.
However, the narrative takes a sharp and sobering turn in the second episode. Laura finds out she is pregnant just one week after meeting Rubén, a development that fundamentally alters everything. What initially seemed like a romantic partnership quickly unravels when Rubén’s true nature emerges—a man battling alcohol dependency and unreliability. Forced to leave her fresh start, Laura retreats to her parents’ home, where she finds herself caught between appreciation for their backing and stifled by their closeness. The dream has collapsed, leaving her to grapple with the stark realities of single parenthood alone.
- Laura encounters Rubén at Sonar music festival in Barcelona
- She falls pregnant a week after their initial encounter
- Rubén proves to be an unreliable, alcohol-dependent partner
- Laura goes back to her family home with baby boy Mario
Gentrified Barcelona as Backdrop and Catalyst
As Laura attempts to create a existence for both herself and Mario, Barcelona itself becomes far more than a mere backdrop—it emerges as a character both alluring and unwelcoming, visually stunning yet fundamentally unwelcoming to those without substantial means. The city that once captivated her with its bohemian character and creative vitality now exposes its reality: a metropolis transformed by unrelenting gentrification, where affordable housing has become a luxury beyond reach for regular working people. Every episode title mentions a distinct area where Laura and Mario reside, a constant reminder that home remains forever out of reach. The series illustrates the harsh irony of a city brimming with riches and tourism, yet utterly indifferent to the circumstances of those unable to pay for essential accommodation.
The economic realities Laura faces are not overstated and entirely typical—they represent the lived experience of numerous single parents across modern-day Spain and Europe. “Rent here is absolutely ridiculous,” she laments to an artist friend. “It’s impossible to find anything.” His hopeful reply—”Nothing’s impossible”—is greeted by her exhausted, forceful reply: “Flats in Barcelona are.” This exchange captures the series’ unflinching treatment to economic hardship, declining to soften the blow or offer easy consolation. Barcelona becomes not a destination of possibility but a gauntlet through which Laura must navigate, balancing her desperate need to generate income with her wish to stay involved for her young son.
The Urban Area’s Contradictions
Barcelona’s metamorphosis serves as a microcosm of larger-scale European city challenges, where traditional districts are deliberately converted into destinations for high-spending travellers and international investors. The city that once delivered artistic energy and genuine community life now prices out the individuals who define its identity and spirit. Laura’s struggle is framed by this context of paradox—immersed in affluence yet unable to access it, based in one of Europe’s most desirable cities whilst experiencing homelessness. The series declines to idealise this contradiction, instead showing it as the harsh, demanding reality it genuinely constitutes for people experiencing gentrification’s wake.
What makes “I Always Sometimes” especially compelling is its grounding in particular, identifiable Barcelona settings that have themselves evolved as representations of the city’s evolving nature. Each scene location—from artist squats to informal living situations with supportive companions—maps the terrain of struggle, demonstrating the city’s most vulnerable inhabitants are driven to its margins and forgotten corners. The distinction between Barcelona’s sparkling exterior and Laura’s unstable circumstances emphasises the series’ central theme: that contemporary urban centres have grown progressively unwelcoming to ordinary people, regardless of their ability, commitment, or perseverance.
Creating Episodes As Short Stories
The structural brilliance of “I Always Sometimes” lies in its method of handling episodic storytelling, with each of the six instalments serving as a self-contained narrative whilst developing Laura’s overarching journey. Running between 22 and 35 minutes, the episodes eschew traditional television pacing in favour of a literary approach, resembling short stories that explore various aspects of single motherhood and urban precarity. This structure allows filmmakers Marta Bassols and Marta Loza to develop scenes between characters with nuance and depth, moving beyond the superficial resolutions that often plague contemporary television dramas. Rather than rushing towards plot mechanics, the series dwells upon the emotional texture of Laura’s everyday life.
Each episode’s title references a different place where Laura and Mario live briefly, transforming geography into narrative structure. This locational structure becomes a effective narrative technique, tracing Laura’s economic decline through Barcelona’s urban terrain whilst simultaneously revealing the hidden networks of mutual aid and hardship that maintain those on the margins of society. The personal scope of these episodes—neither wide-ranging nor hurried—enables genuine exploration of how economic anxiety infiltrates every dimension of life, from romantic relationships to parental impulse. Bassols and Loza’s inaugural screenplay exhibits a developed comprehension of how structure and substance can intertwine to create something deeply resonant.
- Episodes titled after Laura’s temporary homes document her unstable living circumstances
- Running times range from 22 and 35 minutes for adaptable storytelling rhythm
- Episodic format enables deeper character development and emotional resonance
- Geographic locations function as representations of financial instability and social marginalisation
- Series balances personal scenes with broader critiques of contemporary urban life
Narrative Through Visuals Throughout Six Different Worlds
The aesthetic approach of “I Always Sometimes” anchors its narrative in the distinct character of Barcelona’s forgotten corners. Rather than showcasing the city’s iconic landmarks, cinematography focuses on cramped flats, creative communes, and the unglamorous streets where survival takes precedence over sightseeing. This intentional visual strategy transforms Barcelona from tourist destination into a character itself—one that is simultaneously beautiful and hostile, inviting yet rejecting. The cinematography captures the sense of confinement of communal spaces and the weariness visible in Laura’s face as she navigates motherhood lacking proper assistance. Every frame underscores the core conflict between the urban potential and its refusal to deliver.
Shot across multiple Barcelona venues, the series leverages its visual style to trace Laura’s emotional and material circumstances. Lighter, more expansive environments periodically interrupt shadowy, restricted spaces, capturing moments of hope amidst prevailing despair. The set design precisely crafts each temporary home, making them feel lived-in and authentic rather than simple functional spaces. This commitment to visual specificity applies to costume and styling, where Laura’s appearance subtly shifts to capture her shifting circumstances—a modest yet significant storytelling choice that speaks to how financial struggle reshapes identity. The series establishes that personal narratives about everyday hardships can attain visual sophistication without sacrificing emotional authenticity.
Redefining Motherhood on Screen
“I Always Sometimes” comes at a point when TV stories about motherhood are increasingly sanitized and sentimentalized. The drama strips away such romantic notions, presenting single parenthood as a relentless economic hardship rather than a source of inspirational uplift. Laura’s arc eschews the standard trajectory of struggle-to-triumph, instead providing a candid, unvarnished picture of what it entails to bring up a child whilst struggling to pay for housing or food. The drama accepts that love for one’s child coexists with genuine resentment towards the institutions that render parenthood so precarious. By focusing on Laura’s exhaustion and frustration combined with her warmth, the show models a more honest representation of motherhood—one that viewers seldom see in mainstream television.
The creative partnership between Bassols and Loza brings distinctive authenticity to this depiction. Both creators grasp the specificity of Barcelona’s current challenges, having operated within the city’s cultural landscape. Their writing avoids the traps of condescending portrayals of poverty, instead allowing Laura depth and autonomy within limited conditions. The series honours its protagonist’s intelligence and resilience without requiring she perform gratitude for basic survival. This layered treatment extends to supporting characters, who emerge as fully realised individuals rather than simple hindrances or helpers. By treating single motherhood as deserving serious artistic focus, “I Always Sometimes” challenges the power structures that have historically favoured certain stories over others in European television.
Financial Considerations and Genuine Value
The dialogue crackles with specificity when Laura examines Barcelona’s rental market, converting economic frustration into compelling character moments. Her bitter observation—”Nothing’s impossible. Flats in Barcelona are”—encapsulates the series’ rejection of false hope or hollow encouragement. Rather than generalising hardship, the writing anchors it to concrete details: the exact figure of rent demanded, the landlords who take advantage of need, the unstable casual employment that scarcely meets childcare costs. This focus on economic realism distinguishes “I Always Sometimes” from narratives that treat hardship as figurative or transcendent. The series recognises that financial precarity determines every moment in Laura’s day.
Authenticity goes beyond dialogue into the series’ structural choices. By titling remaining episodes after the locations where Laura temporarily squats, the creators foreground housing as the primary concern of her life. This formal decision transforms geography into narrative structure, making displacement visible and inescapable. The episode titles function as a countdown of sorts—each new location representing another temporary solution, another near-miss, another reminder of systemic failure. This approach sets apart the series from traditional television drama, which typically relegates economic concerns to emotional or romantic plotlines. “I Always Sometimes” insists that survival itself constitutes the dramatic core, that the hunt for affordable housing is as compelling as any traditional narrative conflict.
- Episode titles illustrate Laura’s transient housing situations throughout Barcelona
- Housing expenses and financial obstacles constitute the central dramatic tension of character progression
- Writing emphasises material reality over sentimental narratives about motherhood