Four boxes (4L; orig. title: 4 cans() is a 2019 Spanish drama comedy film directed by Gerardo Olivares from a screenplay by Gerardo Olivares and María Jesús Petrement. The film premiered in Spain on 1 March 2019.
„Four boxes“" is a film that combines travel, nostalgia, and emotional weight — the story of a trio of friends who embark on a long journey from Spain to Mali to see their sick friend and the father of one of their companions one last time. The film mixes comedic moments with dramatic emotionality, creating a sense of adventure, friendship, and redemption.
The main characters — Tocho (Hovik Kechkeryan), Jean Pierre (Jean Reno) and Eli (Susana Abaitua) — receive a letter that an old friend, Joseba, lives in the Malian city of Timbuktu and is dying. Two of them — Tocho and Jean-Pierre — decide that they must go to him to see him one last time. They are joined by Joseba's daughter, Ellie.
They discover that their father's car - the legendary Renault 4L, in which they traveled together many years ago - still exists. They decide to repeat the old journey: through Spain, the Caucasus, the Sahara and all the way to Timbuktu.
The journey, once a symbol of freedom and youthful carefreeness, now turns out to be a test: the car is problematic, the road is rough, the desert is unforgiving. Along the way, the characters experience tests of body, spirit, and friendship—with unexpected twists, difficulties, and moments of revelation.
Director Gerardo Olivares, who has experience with documentaries and adventure films, turns Four boxes in a visual journey—landscapes, desert, realistic conditions—everything is captured with naturalism.
The film does not strive for glamour and high drama, but rather for naturalness: friendship, mistakes, nostalgia, the clash between past and present. The atmosphere is a mixture of melancholy and optimistic hope - a reminder that sometimes the journey is more than the destination.
The combination of comic moments, human warmth, and the hardships of the journey makes the story real — it is not a romantic fantasy, but a journey with all its raw and beautiful details.
Four boxes is a quiet but sincere film — it does not pretend to be an adventure blockbuster, but rather a proposal for a journey into memories, meaning, and human connections. It is a film that can touch, move, and remind us that sometimes the most important thing is not where you go, but with whom.
If you're looking for a movie that will awaken nostalgia, show human weakness and strength, and remind you that everyone can seek... "„Four boxes“" is one of those little films that leaves a lasting impression.
