Película>Pelikula: Manila Spanish Film Festival celebrated its 25th edition from Oct. 4 to 11, hosted by Instituto Cervantes de Manila in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, AECID Cultura, and various other cultural representatives. Showcasing Spanish, Latin American, and Filipino films across all genres, the festival featured the internationally acclaimed and nominated Los Domingos.
Directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa and shot by Bet Rourich, the critically acclaimed Spanish film delves into diverse perspectives on faith and beliefs. It explores introspection on contemporary issues, particularly around career hurdles that consider practicality as the sole means to attain success. With its relatable characters and nuanced depiction of family relationships, the film engages viewers through tension and evasion of stereotypes.
Set in Bilbao, a city in Northern Spain, the film follows 17-year-old Ainara (Blanca Soroa), who seeks God’s call to serve within the covenant amidst her nonbelieving and religiously intolerant family members.
Los Domingos examines vocation, as Ainara struggles to break away from her family’s expectations to pursue higher education. Her aunt, Maite (Patricia López Arnaiz), and her father, Iñaki (Miguel Garcés), would later describe her choice as a defiance to the Catholic community—reflecting Ainara’s limited opportunity to experience the world firsthand.
Depiction of love in the eyes of the beholder
This film opens with Ainara secretly drinking with friends at a dormitory in the middle of the night, risking getting caught by a nun, before her aunt picks her up alongside her cousin, Nerea (Irina Robledo Espinosa). At home, silence reflects the family’s emotional distance, as her father’s absence following the death of her mother deepens her desire to enter the convent and find her purpose.
As Ainara navigates her journey, she finds herself struck by romantic love, developing mutual feelings that threaten to complicate her future plans. However, she finds solace in relying on the Lord’s guidance while standing on the line between love and her pursuit of faith.
Mikel (Guille Zani), her love interest and fellow choir member, finds himself drawn back to her once more despite having walked away in the past. As the dilemma intensifies, the protagonist emerges as a multi-faceted character; her shifts in composure enacting as a catalyst for change, adding unpredictability into her actions.
Edges of societal pressure
As the film comes to its climax, an unspoken reverence surfaces as Ainara and her father encounter confusions along the way. The memory of her mother’s unwavering devotion to the Virgin Mary served as a guiding light, emitting a gradual glow on a path that Ainara was only beginning to navigate.
The narrative also explores the internal conflict of Iñaki, who comes to Father Txema (Víctor Sainz), after being suspected of influencing Ainara. On the other hand, Maite’s suspicions cast a veil over a path unrelated to what Ainara’s family had envisioned for her.
However, the film’s tension weakened as the performances lacked depth and intensity. Rather than bolstering its central theme, the inconsistent acting complicates the storyline, providing little to no justification as to whether the path remains worth pursuing or not.
The grace that carries
Within the secluded convent's walls, Ainara seeks closure, carrying with her the wisdom and grace that her grandmother and mother left her. Through this fortress, what was once imagined as fulfillment from her love interest instead left a mark in her heart, reminding her that courage blooms in unfamiliar places and that the bravest choice is to embrace what’s meant for her.
As prayer whispered in the wind of a Sunday morning, Los Domingos (Sundays) invites individuals to see sanctity in the act of altruism.
Despite narrative criticisms, the film excels in its striking cinematography, with each frame boasting details curated with high precision. Its storyline shaped the love formed in profession, revival for the impurities committed, and the transformations that affect the way individuals perceive things and the world around them.
Right before the credits roll, the film ends with a compassion that stays. When passion and faith find their way into one another, love shifts more than a feeling; it turns into a wise choice, a commitment, and a willingness to accept the truth despite struggles that may arise.
As Los Domingos wrapped up in cinemas nationwide, its story embraces the warmth of a Sunday afternoon—fading slowly but never entirely disappearing. Some stories don't end when the lights come off, its lesson continuously settles within its audience.
The 25th iteration of the Spanish Film Festival ended successfully after a week of celebrating the life of filmmaking and storytelling. Stay tuned for the next edition by following Instituto Cervantes de Manila on Facebook and Instagram.
