David Trueba

David Trueba (born 10 September 1969) is a Spanish filmmaker, novelist, screenwriter, and journalist based in Madrid.^[1][2] His debut feature film, La buena vida (1996), earned acclaim and the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, establishing him as a distinctive voice in Spanish cinema through introspective narratives on personal relationships and societal shifts.^[1][2] Trueba's 2013 film Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed) secured six Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, highlighting his skill in blending historical context with character-driven drama inspired by 1960s Spain.^[3][1] As a novelist, he has published works such as Abierto toda la noche (1995) and Saber perder (2008), the latter winning the Critics' Prize for its exploration of ambition and disillusionment in contemporary Spain.^[2][2] Trueba contributes regular columns to publications like El País, offering commentary on culture and politics, while his screenwriting credits include contributions to films by his brother, director Fernando Trueba, such as The Girl of Your Dreams (1998).^[2][4]

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Childhood

David Rodríguez Trueba was born on 10 September 1969 in Madrid, Spain, as the youngest of eight children in a large, modest family of Madrileño origins.^[5][6] His parents, his father hailing from Valladolid and his mother from Santander, met in Madrid and raised the family in the working-class neighborhood of Tetuán, where resources were shared among the siblings due to economic constraints.^[7][8][6] The Trueba household emphasized communal living and parental guidance despite the parents' limited formal education, instilling passions for culture and ideas in their children from an early age.^[8] Among David's siblings were filmmaker Fernando Trueba, who won an Academy Award for Belle Époque in 1994, sculptor Máximo Trueba, and documentarist Javier Trueba, contributing to a family environment steeped in artistic influences.^[5][9] Trueba's childhood unfolded in 1970s Madrid amid Spain's transition from Franco's dictatorship to democracy, a period he later described in his 2020 memoir Ganarse la vida as formative, marked by delayed literacy acquisition that ignited his writing vocation through family storytelling and observation.^[10][11] He recalled vivid early memories, including sensory experiences from infancy, and the challenges of growing up as the "little one" in a mature parental dynamic that prioritized collective experiences over individual excess.^[10][8]

Formal Education and Influences

Trueba enrolled in the Faculty of Information Sciences at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where he pursued a degree in journalism.^[12][13][14] During his university years, he began working in media, gaining early practical exposure to writing and reporting that complemented his academic training.^[12] Following completion of his undergraduate studies, Trueba advanced his screenwriting skills through a specialized course at the American Film Institute in the United States, where instructors included established professionals in the field. This international training bridged his journalistic foundation with cinematic techniques, emphasizing narrative structure and visual storytelling. From an early age, Trueba demonstrated a strong affinity for both cinema and literature, consuming works across genres that informed his interdisciplinary approach.^[13] Familial ties played a role, as his older brother Fernando Trueba, an acclaimed filmmaker and Oscar winner, provided proximity to the industry and likely shaped his aspirations toward directing and scripting.^[12] In later reflections, Trueba has cited directors like Jean Renoir for their naturalistic use of cinematic resources, an admiration that aligns with his preference for transparent, multifaceted storytelling emerging from his formative experiences.^[15]

Professional Career

Entry into Screenwriting and Early Collaborations

Trueba, after completing studies in journalism, traveled to Los Angeles to train in screenwriting at the American Film Institute, marking his formal entry into the field.^[16] His first credited screenplay was for Amo tu cama rica (1991), a comedy-drama directed by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro and co-written with Martínez-Lázaro and Martín Casariego, which depicted the turbulent relationship of a young couple over three years.^[17] The project drew from autobiographical elements and represented Trueba's initial foray into narrative scripting for cinema.^[18] Building on this, Trueba scripted Los peores años de nuestra vida (1994), again under Martínez-Lázaro's direction, a film that chronicled adolescent experiences in post-Franco Spain and achieved significant commercial success as one of the era's notable Spanish productions.^[16] This collaboration reinforced his early partnership with Martínez-Lázaro, yielding a work praised for its authentic portrayal of youth and transition.^[19] In 1995, Trueba co-wrote the screenplay for Two Much with his brother Fernando Trueba, adapting Donald E. Westlake's novel about a dual-identity con artist entangled with two sisters; the film, directed by Fernando, blended farce and romance in a bilingual production starring Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith.^[20] This familial teamwork highlighted Trueba's versatility in adaptation and cross-cultural scripting during his formative screenwriting phase.^[21] Concurrently, he ventured into television, co-directing the satirical sketch show El peor programa de la semana (1993–1994) alongside comedian El Gran Wyoming, further honing his collaborative skills in comedic formats.^[16]

Transition to Directing and Key Films

Trueba, having established himself as a screenwriter through collaborations including work on films by his brother Fernando Trueba, made his directorial debut with the comedy-drama La buena vida (The Good Life) in 1996, which he also wrote.^[2][22] The film follows two adolescents, portrayed by Fernando Ramallo and Lucía Jiménez, as they explore romance and personal growth during a summer, earning nominations for Best Film and Best New Director at the 1997 Goya Awards.^[23] Among his subsequent key works, Obra maestra (Masterpiece, 2000) satirizes the contemporary art scene through the story of a forger's rivalry with a critic.^[2] Soldados de Salamina (Soldiers of Salamis, 2002), an adaptation of Trueba's own novel, depicts a journalist's quest to uncover the tale of a Republican officer spared during the Spanish Civil War's aftermath, and premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.^[2][24] Later standout films include Madrid, 1987 (2011), a thriller involving a journalist and actress entangled in a political scandal from Spain's transition era, and Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed, 2013), a road movie inspired by a real-life Beatles fan's encounter with John Lennon, which secured six Goya Awards, including Best Film and Best Director.^[1][3] These projects highlight Trueba's recurring themes of personal introspection, historical reflection, and cultural critique, often blending fiction with biographical elements.^[25]

Literary Output and Interdisciplinary Work

David Trueba's literary output encompasses novels that blend personal introspection with social observation, often drawing from Spanish contemporary life, politics, and human relationships. His debut novel, Abierto toda la noche, published in 1995 by Anagrama, examines nocturnal urban wanderings and fleeting connections in Madrid.^[26] This was followed by Cuatro amigos in 1999, which chronicles a road trip among young men, unveiling underlying tensions and affections amid youthful escapades.^[26] Saber perder (2008), also from Anagrama, follows a politician's campaign trail and received Spain's National Critics Prize in 2009 for its incisive portrayal of power dynamics and personal compromise; its English translation, Learning to Lose, appeared in 2010.^[27] Later works include Blitz (2015), centered on a cross-generational affair between a Spanish architect and a German woman, exploring cultural clashes and desire,^[28] Tierra de campos (2017), a reflection on rural heritage and identity,^[29] El río baja sucio (2019), delving into familial secrets and moral ambiguity,^[30] and Queridos niños (2021), a satirical novel critiquing political machinations through a lens of generational conflict.^[31] Trueba's non-fiction contributions consist primarily of essay collections compiling his journalistic columns, which address culture, politics, and daily Spanish society. Notable volumes include Artículos de ocasión (1998), aggregating pieces from various outlets, and Érase una vez, an anthology of selected articles published in 2013.^[32] He has contributed regularly to publications such as El País, where his opinion pieces cover topics from economic policy to cultural critique, often with a skeptical eye toward institutional narratives.^[33] Additional collections like Tragarse la lengua y otros artículos de ocasión (2003) extend this vein, emphasizing concise, observational prose honed through decades of press collaboration since his journalism studies.^[32] Works such as Ganarse la vida (2023) blend memoir-like reflections with broader life episodes, marking 25 years since his first novel.^[34] Trueba's interdisciplinary approach integrates literary fiction with journalism and screenwriting, yielding narratives enriched by cross-medium techniques like vivid dialogue and visual economy derived from his film background. His articles frequently prefigure novelistic themes, such as political disillusionment in Saber perder, while journalistic rigor tempers fictional exaggeration, fostering a realist style attuned to causal social forces over ideological framing. This fusion is evident in how his columns in outlets like XLSemanal dissect media and power structures, paralleling the satirical edge in novels like Queridos niños.^{[35] [32]} His output thus bridges isolated artistic pursuits, prioritizing empirical observation across forms to challenge prevailing cultural assumptions.

Recent Projects and Developments (Post-2020)

In 2023, Trueba directed Jokes & Cigarettes (Saben aquell), a biographical drama depicting the life of Catalan comedian Eugenio, from his early days as a jeweler falling in love with singer Conchita to his rise as a humorist after personal setbacks. Co-written with Albert Espinosa, the film stars David Verdaguer in the lead role, earning nominations for 11 Goya Awards, including Best Film, and winning Best Actor for Verdaguer.^[36][37] Trueba's next feature, El hombre bueno (2024), explores the dissolution of a long-term relationship through mediation, with protagonists Vera and Juan seeking guidance from Alonso amid revelations and emotional turmoil. Starring Jorge Sanz, Vito Sanz, and Macarena Sanz, the 79-minute drama premiered in the Made in Spain section at the San Sebastián Film Festival on September 22, 2024, and received positive reviews for its nuanced portrayal of romantic complexities.^[38][39] Looking ahead, Trueba is set to release Siempre es invierno in November 2025, a romantic tragicomedy adapted from his 2015 novel Blitz, following landscape architect Miguel's post-breakup journey in Belgium and subsequent rebuilding in Madrid. Reuniting with Verdaguer alongside Amaia Salamanca and Isabelle Renauld, production wrapped after filming in Lieja and Spanish locations, with a trailer released on October 2, 2025.^[40][41] Venturing into theatre for the first time, Trueba wrote and directed Los guapos in 2024, a play about the reunion of childhood friends Nuria and Pablo from a marginal Madrid neighborhood, whose divergent paths lead to confrontations over class, success, and resentment. Featuring Anna Alarcón and Vito Sanz, it premiered on April 24 at Madrid's Centro Dramático Nacional Teatro María Guerrero, running until May 9 before touring festivals like Temporada Alta.^[42][43] On the literary front, Trueba published Queridos niños in September 2021, a satirical novel chronicling a political campaign road trip across Spain with candidate Amelia Tomás's team, critiquing electoral machinations and personal ambitions through episodic encounters. Issued by Anagrama, the 456-page work draws on observational humor to dissect political theater.^[44][31] In October 2025, he released Mi 69, a reflective essay evoking the 1969 cultural and social landscape—the year of his birth—as a viceversa symbol of generational shifts, blending personal origins with broader historical vignettes from a crowded family perspective. Published by Anagrama, it serves as a memoir-like portrait of formative influences.^[45]

Filmography

Feature Films as Director

Trueba's directorial debut, La buena vida (The Good Life), released in 1996, explores the youthful escapades of two brothers in Madrid during the transition to democracy, blending humor and social commentary on post-Franco Spain.^[46] The film received critical attention for its energetic style and earned Trueba the Ondas Award for Best Director. His second feature, Soldados de Salamina (Soldiers of Salamina), premiered in 2003, adapting Javier Cercas's novel about a journalist investigating a Republican soldier's spared life during the Spanish Civil War, starring Ariadna Gil and Ramón Fontserè.^[47] It was nominated for 11 Goya Awards, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2006, Trueba directed Bienvenido a casa (Welcome Home), a drama about an Argentine writer returning to Spain amid personal and familial tensions, featuring Ernesto Alterio and Natalia Verbeke.^[48] The film highlights themes of exile and reconciliation but received mixed reviews for its pacing. Madrid, 1987 (2011) centers on a journalist and photographer entangled in a political scandal from the 1980s, with Alberto Clemente and Miryam Gallego; it examines memory and corruption in early democratic Spain. Trueba's Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed), released in 2013, depicts a teacher's Beatles-inspired road trip to meet John Lennon in Almería, starring Javier Cámara; the film won six Goya Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Casi 40 (Almost 40), from 2016, portrays midlife crises through intersecting stories of friends approaching forty, blending comedy and introspection with Héctor Alterio. In 2020, A este lado del mundo (On This Side of the World) follows a Mexican immigrant's journey in Spain, addressing migration and identity. His 2023 biographical drama Saben aquell (Jokes & Cigarettes) recounts the early life of Catalan comedian Eugenio, starring David Verdaguer, who posthumously won a Goya for his performance; it grossed over €2 million in Spain.^[37][36] Most recently, El hombre bueno (The Good Man), released in 2024, depicts a couple's separation mediated by an old friend during a family vacation in Mallorca, starring Jorge Sanz and Macarena Sanz; it premiered at the Málaga Film Festival.^[39]

Documentaries and Short Works

Trueba co-directed La silla de Fernando (2006) with Luis Alegre, a 85-minute documentary presenting an extended conversation with Spanish actor, director, and writer Fernando Fernán Gómez, reflecting on his extensive career spanning theater, film, and literature amid Spain's cultural shifts from the Franco era onward.^[49] The film captures Gómez's insights into acting techniques, censorship under dictatorship, and personal anecdotes, earning a Goya nomination for Best Documentary in 2007. In El cuadro (2013), Trueba documents the completion of an unfinished oil painting depicting a nude woman, originally started decades earlier by Catalan painter Josep Santilari, who had passed away before finishing it; Trueba films the artist's son resuming and concluding the work, emphasizing themes of artistic legacy and process.^[50] Si me borrara el viento lo que yo canto (2019), a 89-minute documentary, examines the clandestine 1963 recording of Chicho Sánchez Ferlosio's album Canciones de la resistencia española in a Madrid bathroom under Franco's regime, with Swedish musicians assisting to evade censorship; it interweaves archival footage, interviews, and performances to highlight folk music's role in anti-fascist expression.^[51][52] The film received a Goya nomination for Best Documentary.^[53] No short films directed by Trueba are prominently documented in available production records.

Television and Music Videos

Trueba directed the mockumentary miniseries ¿Qué fue de Jorge Sanz?, an eight-episode production spanning 2010 to 2017 that humorously chronicled the fictional downfall of Spanish actor Jorge Sanz, blending satire with behind-the-scenes insights into the film industry.^[54] In 2022, he helmed the four-episode documentary miniseries La Sagrada Familia, which examined the rise and corruption scandals of the Pujol-Ferrusola political family in Catalonia, featuring interviews with figures like former President Jordi Pujol and drawing on archival footage to explore themes of power and impunity.^[55] This HBO Max exclusive premiered amid ongoing debates over Catalan nationalism and financial opacity.^[56] Trueba co-directed the 2023 documentary miniseries Sofía y la vida real with Jordi Ferrerons, a Warner Bros. Discovery production for DMAX that traced Queen Sofía of Spain's life through personal anecdotes, public duties, and archival material, premiering in June on HBO Max.^[57] In music videos, Trueba directed Albert Pla's El lado más bestia de la vida in 1995, capturing the singer's raw, provocative performance style in a concert-like setting.^[58] He later helmed Jorge Drexler's Universos Paralelos around 2014, a visually introspective piece aligning with the song's themes of alternate realities and introspection.^[58] Additional credits include producing and directing the 2015 video for Ignasi Terraza Trio's Dança Tribal (Imagining Miró), which evoked Joan Miró's surrealism through jazz improvisation and abstract imagery.^[59] These works demonstrate Trueba's versatility in shorter-form visual storytelling, often emphasizing artistic expression over commercial polish.

Bibliography

Fiction and Novels

Abierto toda la noche (1995), Trueba's debut novel, follows a young man's nocturnal wanderings through Madrid, blending introspection with urban encounters.^[26]
Cuatro amigos (1999), his second novel, chronicles the adventures and misadventures of four young men navigating friendship, ambition, and disillusionment in contemporary Spain.^[26][60]
Saber perder (2008), awarded the Critics' Prize, depicts the evolving relationship between a father and his teenage daughter amid personal and familial crises, drawing from Trueba's own experiences as a parent.^[26][61]
Blitz (2014) examines a brief affair between a young Spanish architect and an older German woman against the backdrop of economic hardship in post-2008 Spain.^[26][28]
Tierra de campos (2018), translated as Rolling Fields, portrays rural life and generational tensions in Castile through the lens of a family's decline.^[62]
Mi 69 (2025), Trueba's most recent novel, reflects on the year 1969—his birth year—as a symbol of cultural and personal transitions, offering a semi-autobiographical exploration of generational identity.^[63][64]

Non-Fiction Essays and Articles

Trueba has contributed extensively to Spanish print media as a columnist, with pieces appearing regularly in outlets such as El País and El Periódico de Catalunya, often examining cultural, social, and political dynamics in contemporary Spain.^[33][65] These writings blend personal observation with broader commentary, drawing on his experiences in journalism, literature, and film to critique societal trends, media influence, and public discourse. His non-fiction essays and articles have been compiled into several volumes, serving as anthologies of periodic contributions rather than standalone treatises. Tragarse la lengua y otros artículos de ocasión (Ediciones B, 2003) gathers columns from El Periódico de Catalunya spanning three years, focusing on everyday absurdities, cultural shifts, and interpersonal tensions in post-millennial Spain.^[65] Subsequent collections expand this journalistic corpus. Érase una vez: Antología de artículos (Debate, 2013) selects standout pieces that probe memory, narrative construction, and the interplay between personal anecdote and collective history, underscoring Trueba's preference for essayistic forms over rigid analysis.^[66] Similarly, El siglo XXI cumple 18 (Debate, 2018) aggregates articles reviewing key events and perturbations from 2001 to 2018, including economic crises, technological disruptions, and evolving social norms, presented as a non-academic chronicle of the era.^[67] Earlier work includes Artículos de ocasión (Xordica, 1998), an initial roundup of opinion pieces that established his voice in cultural criticism during the late 1990s.^[68] Trueba's essays maintain a skeptical tone toward institutional narratives, prioritizing anecdotal evidence and causal linkages over ideological framing, though they occasionally intersect with his political commentaries in adjacent writings. Ongoing contributions to El País sustain this output, with recent articles addressing urban life, media ethics, and generational divides as of 2025.^[33]

Political and Opinion Writings

Trueba regularly contributes opinion columns to El País, where he addresses political and social themes such as democratic vulnerabilities, immigration, and electoral dynamics. These pieces, often published weekly, reflect a critical perspective on institutional power and societal trends, drawing from current events like U.S. politics and European migration challenges. For instance, in a March 2025 column titled "Ser o no ser en Estados Unidos," he examined existential dilemmas in American governance.^[69] In July 2025, he critiqued the marginalization of immigrants, arguing that insults, exclusion, and persecution yield profound societal harms. His non-fiction essays extend this scrutiny to structural flaws in political systems. In La tiranía sin tiranos (Anagrama, 2006), Trueba posits that democratic elections enable a form of tyranny by delegating societal malice to representatives, who act as proxies for voters' unacknowledged flaws, fostering systemic ethical erosion without overt dictators.^[70][32] This work diagnoses contemporary society as one where collective abdication perpetuates indirect oppression. Trueba has also authored provocative pamphlets in the "Biblioteca de Ideas Insensatas" series, blending satire with policy critique. Para salvar de una vez por todas la monarquía (2015) satirically probes Spain's constitutional monarchy amid scandals.^[71] Complementing this, Para salvar de una vez por todas la democracia asserts that entrenched political parties hinder genuine democratic participation, advocating instead for civil society's direct involvement in power-sharing to overcome elite capture.^[72] These essays challenge partisan dominance, prioritizing broader societal input over institutionalized mediation.^[73] Additional columns in outlets like XLSemanal tackle cultural-political intersections, such as the expropiation of digital spaces or responses to authoritarian echoes in liberal contexts. In a May 2024 interview tied to his writings, Trueba emphasized democracy's inherent paradoxes, observing that its freedoms incubate its own adversaries.^[74][75] His output consistently favors empirical observation of power dynamics over ideological allegiance, though published in left-leaning venues like El País, which may shape editorial framing.

Critical Reception and Legacy

Achievements and Acclaim

David Trueba's film Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed (2013) garnered substantial acclaim, securing six Goya Awards in 2014, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, marking it as a standout in Spanish cinema for its bittersweet exploration of 1960s youth culture inspired by The Beatles.^[76][3] The film was also Spain's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards, underscoring its international recognition despite not advancing to nominations.^[4] Earlier works contributed to his reputation, with Viva Cuba (2005) earning the Special Jury Prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, highlighting Trueba's skill in capturing youthful narratives across cultural divides.^[23] His directorial efforts have amassed 21 awards and 35 nominations overall, including CEC Awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay tied to Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed, reflecting consistent peer validation within the Spanish film industry.^[77] In literature, Trueba's novel Learning to Lose (Saber perder, 2008) won the Premio de la Crítica Española for Castilian Narrative in 2009, praised for its incisive portrayal of personal and societal tensions in contemporary Spain.^[2] His English translation, Rolling Fields, received an English PEN Award, affirming its cross-linguistic appeal and thematic depth on family and generational conflict.^[78] Trueba's recent nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2024 Goya Awards for Jokes & Cigarettes (Chistes y cigarros, 2023) further evidences ongoing acclaim, building on his dual proficiency in visual and written storytelling.^[77]

Criticisms and Debates

Trueba's adaptation of Javier Cercas's novel Soldados de Salamina (2003) drew criticism for deviating from the source material, particularly by changing the gender of the protagonist journalist from male to female and altering narrative elements, which some reviewers argued undermined the original's introspective tone and historical fidelity. Columnist Luis Fernando Charry described the film as a "failed adaptation" that prioritized dramatic tension over the novel's hybrid blend of memoir and investigation.^[79] While the film received praise for its performances and emotional resonance, these changes sparked debates on the balance between artistic liberty and loyalty in literary adaptations, with detractors viewing them as unnecessary alterations that diluted the story's philosophical depth.^[80] Trueba's public commentary and journalistic work have fueled ideological debates, especially regarding state subsidies for Spanish cinema. Conservative politicians and media outlets, including Vox's Juan García-Gallardo during the 2024 Goya Awards controversy, have accused filmmakers like Trueba of producing ideologically driven content reliant on public funding, portraying it as a mechanism for left-leaning propaganda rather than market-driven art. Trueba rebutted these claims, asserting that cinema represents a nation's "narrative pulse" and that conservative entities, such as the PP and Vox, also benefit from taxpayer support in areas like media and politics, framing the critique as selective rather than principled opposition to subsidies.^[81][82] This exchange highlights broader tensions in Spain over cultural policy, where annual film subsidies exceed €100 million, often scrutinized for favoring projects aligned with progressive themes. His 2022 docuseries La Sagrada Familia, co-directed with Jordi Ferrerons, examined the Pujol-Ferrusola clan's six-decade saga, from Jordi Pujol's rise as Catalonia's president to revelations of hidden finances totaling over €3 million in Andorra, prompting debates on Catalan nationalism's intersection with corruption. While praised for its even-handed dissection of family dynamics and political myths, the series elicited backlash from pro-independence circles for humanizing institutional critiques and exposing fissures in the Pujol legacy, which had symbolized CiU's governance from 1980 to 2015.^[83][84] Trueba's approach, drawing on interviews with figures like Felipe González and archival footage, underscored causal links between unchecked power and ethical lapses, but critics from nationalist outlets argued it amplified unionist narratives amid ongoing secessionist tensions.^[85]

Personal Life and Public Stance

Relationships and Family

Trueba was born on September 10, 1969, in Madrid, as the youngest of eight children in a modest family from the Tetuán neighborhood.^[6][86] His elder brother, Fernando Trueba, is a filmmaker who won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Belle Époque in 1994.^[13] Trueba married Spanish actress Ariadna Gil in 1993 after dating for one year; the couple divorced in 2008 following 15 years of marriage.^[87][88] They have two children together: daughter Violeta and son Leo.^[88][89] The separation became public in 2009 amid reports of infidelity involving Gil.^[88] No further marriages or long-term relationships for Trueba have been publicly documented.^[1]

Political Views and Public Commentary

David Trueba has expressed skepticism toward the authenticity of contemporary left-wing politics in Spain, arguing in a 2020 interview that it often appears contrived and focused on self-sanctification rather than genuine resolution of conflicts, delegating difficult tasks to state apparatus while prioritizing image.^[90] He has critiqued political parties across the spectrum as outdated structures that prioritize internal power struggles and job distribution over national renewal, suggesting in an undated opinion piece on his website that they should evolve into transparent meritocracies akin to well-run organizations, emphasizing talent over loyalty to foster healthier democracy.^[73] Trueba views populism as a pervasive human tendency rather than a political monopoly, stating in 2021 that individuals deploy populist rhetoric in everyday arguments, not just leaders, and that voters have grown more infantile and susceptible to manipulation, contributing to the degradation of political language and ideas.^[91][92] In his 2021 satirical novel Queridos niños, Trueba embeds these observations in a narrative following an electoral caravan, depicting politicians as cynical, misogynistic figures prone to self-destructive behaviors amid campaign pressures, reflecting his broader disillusionment with the performative aspects of power.^[93] He advocates maintaining personal relationships across ideological divides, declaring in 2022 his friendship with those holding differing views and criticizing polarized institutions like the judiciary for ignoring societal input in favor of elite pacts.^[7] Trueba emphasizes the complexity of democratic freedoms, noting in a 2024 interview that threats to democracy emerge internally from its own liberties, and warns against infantilizing censorship in favor of persuasive dialogue to shift opinions.^[74][94] Trueba's commentary often highlights how politics exacerbates personal discomfort through inflamed passions, as he observed in 2021, while acknowledging early promise in post-2010s left-wing movements responsive to youth economic anxieties, though he laments their maturation into rigid forms.^[95][96] In a 2025 opinion piece, he critiqued polarization's inhibition on intra-ideological accountability, thanking the right indirectly for exposing despotic tendencies within one's own camp.^[97] These views position him as a defender of liberal democratic norms against both populist excesses and institutional stagnation, informed by his journalistic background rather than partisan allegiance.

Awards and Nominations

David Trueba has garnered significant recognition in cinema and literature, with multiple wins at prestigious awards ceremonies alongside numerous nominations. His film Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (2013) achieved particular acclaim, securing six Goya Awards in 2014, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.^[76][3] The picture's success marked Trueba's first Goya wins after prior nominations.^[76] In literature, Trueba received the Premio Nacional de la Crítica in 2008 for his novel Saber perder, awarded by Spanish critics for narrative excellence.^[98] He also won the Premio de la Crítica de Madrid for best novel in 2018.^[99] Other notable film honors include the Special Jury Prize at the 1997 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for La buena vida and the Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Málaga Film Festival for Casi 40. Trueba has accumulated over 30 nominations across his career, including recent ones such as Best Director at the 2024 Goya Awards for Saben aquell.^[77]