Wild Sunflowers, portrait of a woman by Jaime Rosales (trailer)
The Spanish director prolongs the epic of his social and intimate cinema.
In The Beautiful Youth (2014) already, Jaime Rosales painted the portrait of Spanish youth; a veritable social fresco that followed the journey of two 20-year-old lovers destroyed by unemployment, in the suburbs of Madrid. A naturalistic style found in his new sentimental odyssey, Wild Sunflowerswhose title and first visuals already seem very poetic to us.
At only 22 years old, Julia has two children, a baby and is studying at the same time. The dream of emancipation of the young woman/mother seems to be hampered by her underprivileged class. She will soon rebel against her destiny. Rosales assures us however: in the middle of his chaotic journey, it is indeed the capacity for resilience that is at the heart of the film.
“Like a sunflower relentlessly following the light“, she leaves Barcelona for Melilla, an enclave located between the Maghreb and Spain where she hopes that the sun will shine a little more. For her, and for her children, who have always missed the father figure. “It’s not innate to be a dad. Apart from sending money I don’t know how to do“, we hear in the first excerpts of the film. Chance will put on her way three men who will successively share her life, three chapters from which she will learn different lessons:
“Through the partners who share my heroine’s life, I paint a portrait of a woman, while reflecting on how these men construct three different typologies of masculinity.”, explains the director.
Promising actress of Spanish cinema, it is Anna Castillo (noted in Olive Tree, for which she had won the Goya for best female hope) who will be her main performer. At his side, we will find Oriol Pla, Quim Avila And Lluis Marques.
Wild Sunflowers (wild girasoles) will be released in French theaters on August 02, 2023.