The film centres on Moncho and his coming-of-age experience in Galicia in 1936. Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher Don Gregorio who introduces the boy to different things in the world. While the story centres on Moncho's ordinary coming-of-age experiences, tensions related to the looming Spanish Civil War periodically interrupt Moncho's personal growth and daily life.
Acting
Fernando Fernán Gómez's Don Gregorio: warmth, wisdom, heartbreaking restraint.
Cinematography
Galician countryside so lush you'll taste the moss, smell the coming storm.
Writing
Dialogue that whispers when others would scream. Trusts viewers completely.
Director
José Luis Cuerda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on three short stories by Manuel Rivas, a cornerstone of contemporary Galician literature fighting Franco-era suppression of regional identity.
Fernando Fernán Gómez was 74, a Franco-era survivor himself; his casting layers generations of Spanish memory into every frame.
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