Maria has just moved into a decaying flat in a poor neighbourhood. She left her family in the countryside because she could no longer stand her father's authority. Pregnant by a man who refuses to see her, Maria gets by as a cleaning-woman. When her father is brought to the city for an operation, her mother moves into her flat.
Acting
María Galiana's wordless devastation — a masterclass in restraint.
Cinematography
Seville's golden decay becomes a character itself.
Direction
Zambrano lets scenes breathe until you suffocate.
Director
Benito Zambrano
María Galiana
Madre
Ana Fernández
María
Carlos Álvarez-Nóvoa
Vecino
Juan Fernández
Juan
Antonio Dechent
Medico
Miguel Alcíbar
El gordo
Concha Galán
Limpiadora
Paco Tous
Socio de Juan
José Manuel Seda
Vigilante
Sebastián Haro
Enfermo
María Alfonsa Rosso
Vieja del carro
Rosario Pardo
Asistente social
Mariana Cordero
Mujer Centro Social
José Chaves
(uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in post-Franco Seville, the film captures Spain's uneasy modernization — crumbling facades hiding generational fractures.
Ana Fernández was Zambrano's neighbor; he wrote María specifically for her. That authentic exhaustion? Method living.
ES
