Los Ilusos 13 + 13 (AKA The Wishful Thinkers 13 + 13 or The Deluded Ones 13 + 13) is a Spanish independent drama film directed and written by Jonás Trueba. It is an experimental new version of his foundational 2013 black-and-white film, Los Ilusos.
The equation in the title represents a time-jump: 13 signifies the original film’s release year (2013), and the second +13 marks the thirteen years that passed until this new version was finalized and released in 2026.
The film is an intimate, meta-cinematic portrait of a group of young filmmakers in Madrid. Rather than focusing on the actual production of a movie, it captures what artists do when they are not making movies. The narrative follows their daily routines, including:
• Wasting time, routine conversations, and drinking sessions
• Wandering the streets of Madrid after leaving a cinema
• Falling in love, experiencing loneliness, and hanging out with friends
Ultimately, the characters are drifting through life, gathering experiences, and organically building future memories for a future film.While the original 2013 film was released strictly in black and white, Los ilusos 13 + 13 incorporates the original, previously unreleased color footage from the initial shoot. Instead of choosing one format over the other, Trueba allows the black-and-white and color materials to coexist and dialogue with each other. This makes the 2026 version feel more luminous, less solemn, and deeply reflective of the passing of time and the shifting moods of the creative process.
This is not a high-tech studio picture. The lighting and camera work are sub-standard, and the images are grainy.
That makes is a good candidate for an AI make-over
