Mateo Gil
Las leyes de la termodinamica

Many things happen according to what we call "randomness," a concept that, apparently, was not provided for in the scientific field, or at least was not, before quantum physics radically transformed this branch, which we could define as central in the macro-world of sciences (though perhaps all are, in some way, interconnected) and whose rules, as the protagonist of this film scientifically tries to demonstrate, govern every event and manifestation of reality as much as human behaviors and feelings. The randomness lies in the fact that I watched this film at the same time I finished reading the trilogy that marked the literary debut of young science fiction writer C. A. Higgins, who, with a degree in physics, constructed her first work inspired by the same laws of thermodynamics that give the name to this latest film by Spanish director Mateo Gil, significantly titled "Las leyes de la termodinamica."

Mateo Gil is a director whom I consider really talented and full of ideas and a part of an emerging generation in Spanish cinema that is very interesting and fearlessly handles different genres. His film "Projecto Lazaro" is, in my opinion, one of the most sensitive science fiction films of recent years and—also centered on relationships between people and the search for the meaning of life—it shares some characteristics with this latest work, albeit with more solemn and dramatic tones. In contrast, "Las leyes de la termodinamica" can be perfectly classified into the more classic genre of comedy: it is an easier film, even funny, and one that could easily appeal to a broad audience. I think, for example, of the success of TV series like "Big Bang Theory," which, whether you like it or not, intelligently opened up a new youth world to even minimal interest in the universe of science. Yes, to talk about "real" science would be wrong and senseless, but ultimately the European philosophical community recognized, for instance, the value of the works of Luciano De Crescenzo. Is he a great philosopher? I wouldn't say so. His texts are philosophical in the same way that the scientific nature of this film is: they are entertainment, they do not have educational content, but rather entertainment value. Yet... they can still raise awareness about certain topics and provide some general knowledge.

Here, the protagonist of the story is a young physicist who, in his daily life and everything that happens around him, particularly in his turbulent and troubled, insecure romantic relationship with the beautiful model, literally clings to the laws of physics as the only unwavering faith in which to seek the self-confidence and life assurance he lacks. Notably, from this perspective, there is a parallel with the already mentioned "Projecto Lazaro" where the protagonist—caught in a series of completely different events, but where romantic relationships also necessarily play a central role—is searching for a meaning to give to life and also has that "ambition" to want to decide himself. As if this alone could give him a serenity that, instead, must be sought in the present moment and time. Thus, there is also a parallel with the work of C. A. Higgins, which is certainly more complex, but in which love is also, in some way, the emotional reference point for applying the principles of the laws of thermodynamics and, in particular, the second: "It is impossible to achieve a transformation whose sole result is the transfer of heat from a colder body to a warmer one without the external input of work." According to the formulation of Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius.

Narrated in the first person, but practically at the same time accompanied by footage from real documentarians and science communicators, who explain step-by-step the relationships between the "laws" and the events of the film, even without fully grasping every concept (explained, truth be told, in a very linear and accessible way) since attention is still kept on the narrative thread, and thus more due to an inattention that can occur when watching what, after all, is and remains a comedy, the film works excellently and proves to be truly enjoyable and well-made. It can only be liked. The "quantum" is difficult to classify and varies according to the different combinations between quantum particles.