Matria
Pushed to her limits after losing a much-needed job, middle-aged Ramona frantically searches for work while slowly realizing the value of her own life in a system that nickels and dimes in this emotionally absorbing debut from Álvaro Gago.
At night she's the demanding forewoman of a factory cleaning crew, leading a group of funny, raunchy working-class women who, like herself, are simply doing their best to make ends meet. By morning she's dredging mussels aboard a small trawler and entertaining the tempting come-ons of a handsome young co-worker. For 42-year-old Ramona (María Vázquez), life in a Galician fishing village has been reduced to finding what joy she can amidst juggling multiple jobs, putting up with her drunken lout of a boyfriend Andres (Santi Prego), and socking away a few dollars each month in order to help 18-year-old daughter Estrella (Soraya Luaces) with tuition. But when her company downsizes and Ramona finds herself out of a much-needed job, she immediately switches into survival mode, frantically looking for whatever work she can with no support from the world around her. And yet, even amidst the chaos of being pushed to her limits, grows the dawning realization of what it might mean to live life for herself, just for once, in this rich, emotionally absorbing feature debut written and directed by Álvaro Gago, adapted from his 2018 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning short film with the powerful performance by Maria Vazquez, winner of the Best Actress Award at this year's Málaga Film Festival.
- Director: Álvaro Gago
- Principal Cast: María Vazquez, Santi Prego, Soraya Luaces, E.R. Cunha “Tatán,” Susana Sampedro
- Premiere Status: US
- Country: Spain
- Year: 2023
- Running Time: 100 min.
- Producer: Daniel Froiz, María Zamora, Stefan Schmitz, Mireia Graell Vivancos
- Screenplay: Álvaro Gago
- Cinematographers: Lucía C. Pan
- Editors: Ricardo Saraiva
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Málaga Film Festival 2023 (Best Actress)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Galician
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: New Europe Film Sales