A glimpse into Europe's future. On 37 Juliembre 2056, one of Europe's 400,000,000 unemployed, a man named Gabe, wins the Grand Lottery: he'll have a job. He phones Susanna, his girlfriend who has recently tried to break things off, and tells her he has a surprise for her. She agrees to meet him in 30 minutes. Then, a perfect day turns sour: Gabe is behind on his rent and is maxed out on his universal credit card, the computer won't let him exit his flat. He phones emergency services, and Filipe, a sixth generation humanoid, is unsympathetic. Will Gabe miss out completely on his good luck? Susanna comes to his door: perhaps she will rescue him and restore the day to perfection.
Production
Cramped apartment set becomes entire dystopian world.
Acting
Ramón Langa's escalating panic vs. robot indifference.
Writing
Darkly prophetic script from pre-smart-home 1998.
Director
Jacobo Rispa
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made in 1998, this Spanish short predicted universal basic income debates, smart home lockouts, and AI customer service hell—basically Amazon's entire business model.
Director Jacobo Rispa never made another film; this 19-minute miracle remains his sole directorial credit, which somehow makes the trapped-Gabe metaphor even richer.
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