Bernat Quintana
Boi
Overview
Boi is a young man starting out in a new job as a chauffeur. While anxiously waiting for news from his girlfriend regarding a decision that could change both their lives, he must accompany his first clients, Michael and Gordon, two Asian businessmen who have come to Barcelona in order to close a multimillion-dollar deal.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readWaiting for a call that never comes
I kept waiting for Boi to arrive. Not the film itself. At 111 minutes it already feels longer than it should.
I wanted the cryptic, stylish surface to crack and show something underneath. A young chauffeur, Boi, played by Bernat Quintana, spends his days ferrying two Asian businessmen, Adrian Pang and Andrew Lua, through Barcelona's labyrinthine streets while he waits for a life-altering call from his girlfriend. The premise promises tension.
A man in limbo, a deal hanging, the quiet dread of work and love both going precarious. Boi never quite decides what it wants to be. Thriller? Character study?
A look at artistic dreams that went unpaid? The sleek cinematography and moody Barcelona backdrops hint at ambition. What sits under them stays out of reach.
Jorge M. Fontana's debut feature is visually striking. The camera lingers on Barcelona's architecture, modernist curves, shadowy alleys, as if the city itself were a character.
The pretty pictures often feel like they are covering a shortage. The opening sequence puts Boi in his car, engine hum the only sound, face half-lit by the dashboard. A strong image of isolation.
Then the film undercuts it with cryptic dialogue and motives that stay fog. Michael and Gordon, the businessmen, speak in riddles about their deal. Words heavy with implication and light on meaning.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 5.0/10
"A polarizing thriller: visually engaging but shallow to some, a slow-burn success despite weak character development to others."
Reactions to *Boi* (2019), directed by Jorge M. Fontana, are sharply divided. Boi, a young chauffeur in Barcelona, wrestles with personal anxieties while driving two Asian businessmen through a high-stakes deal. Its atmospheric cinematography and slow-building tension, especially in the first half, earn praise and comparisons to European arthouse thrillers. Others say it puts style over narrative depth and call it pretentious or confusing. Kinopoisk reviewers echo this, calling it visually striking but emotionally hollow, with a plot underdeveloped for its ambitious themes. The cast, including Bernat Quintana and Adrian Pang, gets mixed feedback: subtle and effective to some, one-dimensional to others. The deliberate pacing is also contested, appreciated by some and called sluggish by others. *Boi* suits fans of moody, character-driven thrillers and frustrates those expecting a tighter, more coherent story.
What viewers praise
- Atmospheric and visually engaging The stylish cinematography and moody atmosphere create a tense, immersive experience, especially early on.
- Strong performances from lead actors Bernat Quintana’s Boi is nuanced and compelling in its subtlety. Adrian Pang and Andrew Lua also get positive mentions as the businessmen.
- Slow-burn tension The deliberate pacing builds suspense and compares favorably to other European thrillers.
Common complaints
- Weak narrative and shallow themes Critics and audiences fault its lack of depth, with its philosophical ambitions overshadowed by style. Carlos Aguilar of the *Los Angeles Times* called it a "cryptic thriller" that failed to deliver meaningful substance.
- Confusing or underdeveloped plot The storyline is hard to follow, with loose ends and unclear motivations for key characters. Kinopoisk reviewers called the plot disjointed or incomplete.
- Pacing issues For some, the film drags, particularly in the second half, where the tension never meaningfully escalates.
Recommended for
Fans of atmospheric European thrillers Fans of character-driven stories with subtle performances Fans of moody, slow-burn cinema over fast-paced action
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of Boi (2019): A Spanish Thriller’s Quiet Rise
Jorge M. Fontana’s Boi (2019) slipped into the thriller genre with little fanfare, but its cast and moody premise have kept it on the radar of Spanish cinema fans. latestnetflix.com's take is that the film, set against an unspecified backdrop of tension, stars Bernat Quintana in what sources suggest is a career-defining role—though the movie’s reception has been decidedly mixed.
A Cast of Familiar Faces and Rising Talent
Quintana, best known for his long-running role in the Catalan soap opera El Cor de la Ciutat, took the lead in Boi, marking a rare foray into film for the actor. His co-stars included seasoned performers like José Sacristán, a veteran of Spanish cinema, and Adrian Pang, a familiar face in international productions. The ensemble also featured relative newcomers like Pol López and Berta Pipó, hinting at Fontana’s interest in blending established and emerging talent.
Rumors about on-set dynamics are scarce, but Quintana’s transition from television to film likely posed challenges. His role in Boi was described as a "leading performance," suggesting he carried much of the film’s emotional weight. Whether the shoot was smooth or fraught with tension remains unconfirmed—no behind-the-scenes drama has surfaced in available sources.
Genre and Reception: A Thriller’s Struggle
Boi is classified as a thriller, though details about its plot remain vague in public snippets. The film’s 111-minute runtime and Spanish production context suggest a slow-burn narrative, possibly leaning into psychological or crime-driven tension. However, its reception has been lukewarm at best. On SensCritique, it holds a 4.5/10 rating based on 44 votes, a score that reflects either niche appeal or underwhelming execution.
Rotten Tomatoes lists Anatoly Chugunov and Macarena Gómez among the cast, though their roles are unspecified in the available evidence. The trailer, available on YouTube, offers little clarity, focusing more on atmosphere than plot. Without broader critical coverage, it’s hard to gauge whether Boi’s struggles stem from marketing, pacing, or simply a mismatch with audience expectations.
**Why Hasn’t Boi Broken Through?**
Several factors may explain the film’s low profile:
- Limited release: No evidence suggests a wide theatrical run, which could have hampered word-of-mouth buzz. - Genre competition: The thriller space in 2019 was crowded, with higher-profile releases dominating attention. - Mixed reviews: The 4.5/10 rating on SensCritique indicates a polarizing experience, though the sample size is small.
Fontana’s direction remains largely unexamined in public sources, leaving his creative choices for Boi a mystery. Whether the film’s tone was intentional or misjudged is unclear—no interviews or production notes have surfaced to clarify its vision.
The Verdict: A Film Worth Revisiting?
For fans of Quintana or Spanish-language thrillers, Boi might hold niche appeal. Its cast alone makes it a curiosity, particularly for those tracking Quintana’s shift from television to film. However, with no major awards, box office data, or critical deep dives available, the movie remains a footnote in 2019 cinema.
If Boi has a legacy, it’s as a quiet experiment—one that either failed to resonate or simply never found its audience. Until more details emerge, it’s a title that thrives in obscurity, waiting for a reappraisal that may never come.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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