Jokes & Cigarettes

In late-1960s Barcelona, a young jeweler named Eugenio falls for Conchita, a singer, and even learns the guitar to accompany her onstage. What begins as romantic devotion slowly reveals his knack for timing and a dry, deadpan humor that transforms small club performances into a singular stage persona: cigarette in hand, one-liners delivered with surgical precision. The film traces his transformation from amateur entertainer to a cultural figure whose laughter masks personal sacrifices and the heavy cost of life in the spotlight.

Balancing warmth and melancholy, the story captures both the joy of finding one’s voice and the loneliness that success can bring, portraying intimate moments behind the jokes as honestly as the public triumphs. Strong performances and period detail evoke an era of changing tastes and muted freedoms, offering a poignant look at how a comic’s humor can illuminate—and sometimes obscure—the man behind the laughter.