catalan films – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

ROMERIA – Review by Sarah Ward

June 23, 2026 Sarah Ward carla simon, catalan films, Hélène Louvart, Llúcia Garcia, Romería, Spanish films

Carla Simón has done it again — made a marvel of a movie, that is, and one so teeming with insight and spirit that its personal ties are always evident, as was the case with both Summer 1993 and Alcarràs. The Spanish writer/director may prefer to stay in semi-autobiographical territory again with the richly evocative and resonant Romería; however, as she keeps amassing a resume enviable for its intimacy and intelligence, her work is no less affecting for fictionalising some of the specifics.

Festivals Reviews

THE END OF IT (Cannes 2026) – Review by Diane Carson

May 21, 2026May 22, 2026 Diane Carson Beanie Feldstein, Cannes 2026, catalan films, gael garcia bernal, Maria Martínez Bayona, noomi rapace, Paloma Peñarrubia, rebecca hall, The End of It

The End of It confronts immortality. Claire Fort has a serious problem. On the occasion of her 250th birthday, she is fed up with immortality, even though she holds one of the select designated spots in that distinguished category of those who will not die. But now, clearly despondent, Claire (Rebecca Hall) reluctantly greets her boring friends, so predictably repetitive that she knows they will inevitably throw her into the swimming pool to celebrate, yet again, another year. With this daring premise, writer/director Maria Martínez Bayona tackles a controversial contemporary issue: the desire for and scientific strategies to extend life.

Festivals Interviews

Maria Martínez Bayona talks THE END OF IT (Cannes 2026) – Jennifer Green interviews

May 16, 2026May 17, 2026 Jennifer Green Beanie Feldstein, Cannes 2026, catalan films, gael garcia bernal, Maria Martínez Bayona, noomi rapace, rebecca hall

For a young Spanish director to make her first feature film in English with a Euros 8 million ($9.4m) budget—more than double the Spanish average—and with internationally renowned actors like Rebecca Hall, Noomi Rapace, Gael García Bernal and Beanie Feldstein is unusual. For her film to be invited to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival is even more out of the ordinary.

Festivals News

FORASTERA (TIFF 2025) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

September 15, 2025September 14, 2025 Valerie Kalfrin catalan films, Foraster, Lluís Homar, Lucía Aleñar Iglesias, Marta Angelat, TIFF 2025, Zoe Stein

A teenage girl steps into her late grandmother’s dresses and quietly takes on helping her grandfather with grief in the subtle drama Forastera. The film is at times too subtle for its own good. Its pacing lags over an hour and 37 minutes, and the ambiguity meant to blur Cata with her grandmother keeps viewers from understanding its young protagonist better, sapping its emotional impact. People grieve in different ways, but Cata’s seems to hold her away from us when it should draw us closer.

Reviews

CLOSE YOUR EYES – Review by Diane Carson

September 9, 2024September 11, 2024 Diane Carson Ana Torrent as Ana Arenas, catalan films, Jose Coronado, Manolo Solo, Spanish films, Victor Erice

In Close Your Eyes, Spanish director Víctor Erice poses a tantalizing mystery for his central character and his audience. As veteran filmmaker Miguel Garay’s production of the appropriately titled The Farewell Gaze progresses, his close friend and lead actor Julio Arenas disappears without any warning, clues, or reason.