Natalie Morales is having quite a 2021, and it’s only just halfway over. She has already released her comedy Plan B to really good reviews, including our own. But it was a few months earlier at the SXSW film festival that Morales debuted what was actually her directorial debut, Language Lessons, which also sees her in front of the camera alongside Mark Duplass.
Language Lessons is a charming film about a man who receives Spanish lessons as a gift, then forges a bond with his instructor during classes over ZOOM. This is one of those movies that is exactly in the Duplass wheelhouse for fans of the indie stalwart. For Morales, it shows her capable of many different approaches as this couldn’t be more different from Plan B. Duplass and Morales tag teamed on the script, as well.
Language Lessons opens in theaters on September 10th.
When Adam’s (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he’s unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño—but do you really know someone just because you’ve experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest, and at times darkly funny, LANGUAGE LESSONS is a disarmingly moving exploration of platonic love.
