ESTIBALIZ URRESOLA SOLAGUREN | SPAIN | 2023 | 125 MIN | SPANISH, BASQUE
If eight-year-old Lucía (Sofía Otero) is anything, she’s incredibly assertive. Unfazed by her father’s disapproval and her siblings’ teasing, she revels in the affirmation she receives from her mother. Lucía is adamant that she is a female and that her identity is for her to decide. However, the world she inhabits refuses to accommodate her, and a moment of innocence between Lucía and a friend is the final nail in the coffin. Lucía’s identity is now a matter of urgency, and with her parents balancing marital conflict, her mother takes the children on summer vacation to the countryside. There, Lucía finds an ally in her maternal aunt, who has also deserted the limits of gender expectations. In contrast, her grandmother constantly misgenders her, and Lucía faces a new struggle when she refuses to answer to the male name Aitor, her assigned name at birth. Anchored by an astonishingly impressive performance from Otero, Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren's debut feature is a tender portrait of girlhood and womanhood in a patriarchal world.
Cast: Sofía Otero, Patricia López Arnaiz, Ane Gabarain, Itziar Lazkano
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