The Blind Sunflowers (film)
The Blind Sunflowers (Spanish: Los girasoles ciegos) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by José Luis Cuerda and written by Rafael Azcona and Cuerda, based on the 2004 novel The Blind Sunflowers by Alberto Méndez. The film stars Maribel Verdú, Javier Cámara and Raúl Arévalo. The plot follows the life of a family, former sympathizers of the Spanish Republic, during the early 1940s. Their lives are disrupted when a young priest falls in love with the mother. The film is set in Ourense, 1940 where a disorientated deacon, named Salvador returns to the seminary of Ourense where the Rector delays Salvador's access to priesthood for a year. Salvador begins teaching in a school where he meets with Lorenzo, the son of Elena, whom of which Salvador thinks is widowed. This opportunity multiplies with the deacon becoming obsessed with her, abusing her mentally and physically. We realise that Salvador is threatening Elena's family because of his obsession. Wounded and beaten by the circumstances, the characters of the Blind Sunflowers hit the wall of repression, impossible romances and emotional defeats, while we realise Elena's family try to search for a glimpse of hope.
| The Blind Sunflowers | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | José Luis Cuerda |
| Produced by | Fernando Bovaira José Luis Cuerda Emiliano Otegui |
| Written by | José Luis Cuerda Rafael Azcona |
| Based on | The Blind Sunflowers by Alberto Méndez |
| Starring | Maribel Verdú Javier Cámara Raúl Arévalo Irene Escolar Martiño Rivas José Ángel Egido Roger Princep |
| Music by | Lucio Godoy |
| Cinematography | Hans Burmann |
| Edited by | Nacho Ruiz Capillas |
| Distributed by | Sogecine |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
This film was Spain's 81st Academy Awards official submission to Foreign Language Film category, but it was not selected.
Cast
- Maribel Verdú as Elena
- Javier Cámara as Ricardo
- Raúl Arévalo as Salvador
- Roger Príncep as Lorenzo
- José Ángel Egido as Rector
- Martín Rivas as Lalo
- Irene Escolar as Elenita
- Juan Antonio Quintana
- Fernando Ransanz
- David Janer as the falangist
- Ricardo de Barreiro as Fernández
- Miguel de Lira as the brother
- Fanny de Castro as aunt Lola
- Carmen Losa as the nephew
- Mario Roldán
- Santi Prego
- Xosé Manuel Olveira 'Pico'
- Íñigo Navares as Paquito
- Patrick Criado
- Sergio Murillo
- Daniel Heras
- Francisco Heras
- Laura Ponte as the woman who cleans
- Emiliano Otegui
- Camilo Rodríguez
- Karmele Aranburu as the actress
- Luis Callejo as the military prosecutor
- Silvia Giner as the sister of Capitán Alegría
- Alexia Pardo
Accolades
- Goya Awards
- Won: Best Screenplay – Adapted (Rafael Azcona and José Luis Cuerda)
- Nominated: Best Actor – Leading Role (Raúl Arévalo)
- Nominated: Best Actor – Supporting Role (José Ángel Egido)
- Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Maribel Verdú)
- Nominated: Best Cinematography (Hans Burman)
- Nominated: Best Costume Design (Sonia Grande)
- Nominated: Best Director (José Luis Cuerda)
- Nominated: Best Editing (Nacho Ruiz Capillas)
- Nominated: Best Film
- Nominated: Best Makeup and Hairstyles (Fermín Galán and Silvie Imbert)
- Nominated: Best New Actor (Martín Rivas)
- Nominated: Best Original Score (Lucio Godoy)
- Nominated: Best Production Design (Baltasar Gallart)
- Nominated: Best Production Supervision (Emiliano Otegui)
- Nominated: Best Sound (Ricardo Steinberg, María Steinberg and Alfonso Raposo)