The Spanish comedy drama I Can’t Live Without You dives into a pretty basic yet extremely topical, relatable topic; nomophobia, or acute mobile phone addiction, a malady that has far-reaching impact and has infected the majority of the global population within a fairly short amount of time. Agreed, the nature of contemporary work-life schedules has made smartphones an inseparable part of our lives by consolidating nearly all our regular personal and professional necessities in a single device, but more often than not, the engrossing allure of the virtual world inside the miniature display makes people forget the outside reality. This particular aspect of a common nuisance is perfectly highlighted in director Santiago Requejo’s comedy drama feature, which, albeit messed up in the humor department, retains its strength when it comes to sentimental impact.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Carlos and Adela’s Marital Life Take A Wrong Turn?
Carlos is a hardworking business consultant employed in a private investment firm for twenty years, and is happily married to his beloved wife, Adela, who is a doctor by profession, and the duo are blessed with two children, Teresa and Jaime, who are pursuing their college years abroad. After being married for two decades, the flame of romance between the couple has understandably dimmed, but Carlos’ irritable mobile addiction has driven their conjugal relationship onto rocky terrain. With the opening shot, where moments after waking up in the morning, Carlos becomes busy with his phone instead of greeting his wife, it becomes quite clear that he has messed up work-life balance, big time. With the kids returning to college, Adela wanted to spend some quality time with her husband by taking time off from her duties, but Carlos is too busy working to secure his spot amidst the board of directors of his company to spare any attention for Adela’s wishes. The fact that Carlos is hilariously oblivious to all the warning signs only reflects his cluelessness.
However, the already shaky condition of Carlos and Adela’s marriage becomes even more troubling, as Carlos doesn’t make it in time to see off their children at the airport while chasing a thief who had stolen the brand new smartphone he had purchased. Adela is visibly hurt after learning that instead of making time for the kids, Carlos was busy with his phone-related affairs—and worst of all, he doesn’t even consider this a grave mistake on his part. Later on, as Carlos and Adela attend the marriage of Adela’s sister, Carlos remains busy with his phone, sorting out office-related problems, being completely unmindful about the fact that he has the bride’s ring with him. An enraged Adela throws his phone in the water, and like an absolute buffoon, Carlos jumps into the water to fetch it, making himself a laughing stock in front of the attendees. This was the last straw for Adela, as the next day she decides to move out, leaving Carlos to his devices. Carlos desperately pleads with her to stay, but the simple fact that a relationship demands commitment from both sides eludes him all the while. In his mind, he has been engaged in this workaholic routine for the sake of his family, but what’s the point of his hard work if he isn’t even able to spare some time for them to begin with?
Carlos’ Effort to Win Back Adela’s Heart
Despite all his bad habits, Carlos is hopelessly in love with Adela and is willing to change himself to help her see him in a new light. He joins a therapy group run by his old friend Rosa, which specifically aims to treat phone addiction syndrome by inculcating a healthy, active lifestyle where minimal use of the phone is advocated. Carlos initially struggles to accept the strict regime and gets into a spat with Armanda, a fellow member of the group. However, after realizing that there is no other way for him to get rid of this ailment, Carlos gets serious about reformation and gradually manages to cut off his addiction with the help of the kind, wholesome new friends in the group. Carlos resumes his favorite pastime, cycling, starts reading books, finds retro alternatives for smartphones, and even sends handwritten letters to his children to let them know about his therapy. By making considerable progress, Carlos meets with Adela and somehow convinces her to give him a second chance, now that the kids are returning home for a weekend and promises to be there for them without being distracted by anything else. Adela was preparing to go to Milan to attend a health congress with her colleague but decides to stay for the time being to see whether Carlos has truly changed his past ways.
Carlos shows effort by taking it upon himself to impress his wife and kids, and for quite a while, he really keeps his word to Adela by shouldering all the household responsibilities. Trouble arises when his boss, Alejandro, asks Carlos to attend an urgent meeting through video call, which will ensure his place among the board of directors of the company. Carlos desperately tries to alter his priorities between personal and professional life, which unsurprisingly deteriorates into mess as Carlos drops the ball on both occasions. Adela realizes what is really going on, and whatever hopes she had for Carlos get squandered in a moment. A teary-eyed Adela refuses to speak further with her husband, and later, after bidding farewell to their children who depart for college, Adela files for a divorce.
Was Carlos Able to Save His Marriage?
A shell-shocked Carlos tries to hold on to Adela by urging her to stay, but realizes all too late that he has been unknowingly acting as a selfish husband all along, not allowing his wife much-deserved love and attention, and leaving her alone throughout. Adela has a life of her own, and having her feelings neglected time and time again, she cannot waste any more of her life with a person who doesn’t value the presence of his better half. Adela prepares to venture to Milan, while a heartbroken Carlos sulks around and stops visiting the therapy group altogether. His boss Alejandro lets Carlos know that he has been given the position for which he had toiled for so long—but without family by his side, there is really no meaning to this vain success.
Rosa and the members of the therapy group visit Carlos at his home and try to cheer him up. But as he shares his miserable plight with them, it turns out that Carlos has become too hopeless and dejected. All the members try to offer a solution to Carlos for patching up with Adela, which only makes him all the more infuriated as he believes it is already too late for that. Rosa shares her tragic past, as to how her tendency to text while driving had cost her husband his life, which prompted her to start this therapy group to begin with—and she advises Carlos that it’s never too late. Right about the same time, a pregnant member of the group goes into premature labor, which prompts everyone, including Carlos, to rush to the hospital—the one where Adela works. Armando encourages Carlos to try to make amends with Adela for one last time, and from the hospital receptionist/ Adela’s friend, Patricia, they learn that Adela is already on her way to Milan and is currently awaiting her flight. On his way to the airport, Carlos calls Alejandro to quit his job. Even though he is late to realize it, Carlos has finally gained a proper sense of priority.
What follows is a typical rom-com scenario, as Armando helps Carlos sneak onto the flight by posing as the pilot, and Carlos conveys an honest, heartfelt apology to his wife. Carlos lets Adela know how much she means to him and requests her to stay as he wishes to start things over for one last time. Carlos lets Adela know that he has quit his job and will do whatever it takes to be with his family from now on. Seeing much sincerity and commitment in his impassioned pleas, Amanda cancels her flight and decides to stay, but at the same time, she lets Carlos know that he has to work hard to gain the trust and love back—and Amanda is willing to stay if Carlos is willing to go the length. As Amanda leaves, Carlos gets so ecstatic that, for the first time in a long, long while, his phone has died, and he didn’t even notice.
