Spanish directors have changed the way of portraying certain subjects, which until recently were told only by men. It didn’t matter that some of them didn’t even know it in the first place, the vision that came was masculine and with it came an imaginary that had nothing to do with reality. Since women began to tell their stories, the way things like motherhood were looked at has changed radically. No more romanticized stories, births in dreams, children born already grown… for the first time there is truth, complexity and edge.
It’s scary to think what would happen if a man dared to talk about this maternal, a film by Pilar Palomero presented at the Zinemaldia festival in San Sebastián, which tells the story of teenage mothers who take care of an apartment where they “learn” to raise their children, a job that girls their age should not do. Palomero confronts these mothers without judgment, but places the camera at just the right distance to capture their truth. Almost modestly, let them tell stories that range from insult to ignorance. All of them have something in common, none of them were able to terminate the abortion when they realized the pregnancy later than allowed by law.
Palomero plays to blend reality and fantasy. At the center of her artifact is a story she wrote, the story of a young Carla who becomes pregnant by her best friend and is then surrounded by young mothers who tell their true stories. The long scene in which they tell the hero about their experience and ends with Carla crying is one of the most powerful scenes that Spanish fiction has shown this year.
The director who won girls -Goya Best Picture Winner- In this film, she charts her transition into adolescence, where she transitions into mothering girls who should be going out for their first drink and going to nightclubs instead of learning how to breastfeed. Both have something in common, the importance of sex education. maternal Moved to San Sebastián and the standing ovation the entire team received at the press conference was the longest and warmest to date, making him a clear contender for the golden envelope.
for the first half hour maternal It’s brilliant, the director’s clever use of ellipsis forces the film to show the sex scene and even the birth, with elegant and brilliant editing that already puts us at the center of the conflict, with the girl who is doomed to be a mother without her. choose As soon as a beautiful scene passes, the film turns on its head. It gets stuck and somewhat repetitive. One begs for these authentic luxury secondary items that light up the story every time they appear.
Despite everything, Palomero achieves some wonderfully beautiful and moving moments, such as Carla dancing with her mother to the rhythm of the Estopa. A film also based on the interpretation of Carla Quiles, The Tempest supported by the excellent Angela Cervantes. A film that is not afraid to be uncomfortable as it is real, and which can be accused of being too warm on the issue of abortion, which it leaves too late and is reduced to a simple conversation or its ambiguous scene until the finale. Despite this, maternal is Pilar Palomero’s giant leap into a much sexier and more complex film than girls.
Women you’ve never seen before
Pilar Palomero went to San Sebastian accompanied by all the girls maternal. Some of them have never flown in an airplane and certainly none have been to a film festival. Sharing everything with them is the best experience. He claims that a few hours before the release of the film and is nervous, he does not know the great reception of the film. It is clear that with maternal It features women who don’t usually appear in movies, and the characters themselves said so.
“They told me, not only those who appear in the film. I talked to many other women and they also told me. They all talked to me about social judgment, how their environment judged them for being teenage mothers, when it’s something they clearly didn’t plan to do. It happened and they had to move forward with everything. I think there was a lot of desire on his part to say that and show what that reality is like, because we have a lot of prejudices, because I noticed that when they asked me what the second movie was about, and it encouraged me. more. “Hopefully, this serves to dispel these misconceptions and show that this is a reality that is happening and that teenage pregnancy is ultimately our responsibility as a society, we need to put the tools in place to prevent it from happening,” says Pilar. Palomero.
They all talked to me about social judgement, how their environment judged them for being teenage mothers, when it’s something they clearly didn’t plan to do.
Pillar Dovecote
– Film director
while together girls He said something he already knew maternal He entered a world that, a priori, was alien to him, which caused fear that he thought was important. “You have to have it and work from there. I took great care of everything, I always tried to be very respectful, very honest, very careful and surround myself with people who lead. For example, Carol is a foster carer, she was their foster carer at the center and she has a role in the movie where she also plays a foster carer. He was also my mentor throughout the writing process, he always was set And I think that fear, which I think is important, is removed the moment you approach the subject with a lot of respect.”
It is clear that the issue of abortion is not hidden, but in this case, when Carla’s character discovers that she is already five months pregnant, “abortion is not an option.” “And one thing I’ve found in this documentation process that’s very common is that when they know they’re pregnant, they can’t have an abortion because it’s been three months, and I think that’s closely related, obviously. Regarding the lack of sex education that exists, and hopefully the film can enhance that reflection, that debate. It seemed important to me that it was in the film, and it seemed that at this point it was a scene in which we were presented more as a quiet chat in which we were all talking, including myself, about our experiences and our opinions. ”
Source: El Diario
