Becoming Ana
2024 film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Becoming Ana[1] (Spanish: La mitad de Ana, lit. 'Half of Ana') is a 2024 drama film directed by Marta Nieto (in her directorial debut film), who also stars alongside Noa Álvarez and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart.
- Marta Nieto
- Beatriz Herzog
- María Zamora
- Stefan Schmitz
- Ramón Campos
| Becoming Ana | |
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| Spanish | La mitad de Ana |
| Directed by | Marta Nieto |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Julián Elizalde |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Elastica |
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Plot
The plot follows the plight of museum guard Ana, who needs to learn to grapple with her 8-year-old child Son's exploration of self-identity and trans youth.
Cast
- Marta Nieto[2]
- Noa Álvarez as Son[2]
- Nahuel Pérez Biscayart[2]
- Sonia Almarcha as Blanca[2]
- Lorena López as Patricia[2]
- Pablo Alamá as Pau[2]
- Arnau Comas as Raúl[2]
- Paula Braguinsky as Eva[2]
Production
Nieto first began to develop the project for her feature film debut in 2019 within the Spanish Film Academy's 'Residencias Academia de Cine' program.[3] As a part of the process, she wrote and directed the short film Son, which screened at the Seminci and LesGaiCineMad.[3] She then joined forces with Beatriz Herzog to write a "bigger, more complex" film.[3] The film is an Elastica and Avalon co-production with Mr Fields and Friends Cinema and Studiocanal,[4] with the participation of RTVE, Movistar Plus+, and À Punt and the backing from Ayuntamiento de Madrid, the Madrid regional administration, ICAA and IVC.[1] Julián Elizalde served as director of photography.[5] Shooting locations included Madrid.[6]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci) on 21 October 2024, in competition for the Golden Spike.[7][8] Distributed by Elastica Films,[1] it was scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 13 December 2024.[9] The release date was later set for 10 January 2025.[10]
Reception
Javier Ocaña of El País wrote that "the uneveness of the situations is constant in a work that is as ambitious as it is difficult to crystallize".[11]
Pere Vall of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, billing it as a "a film with strong social and sociological overtones, but which does not rule out a foray into fantasy".[12]
Philipp Engel of Cinemanía rated Becoming Ana 3 out of 5 stars, declaring it "a film that makes a virtue of modesty", "although it runs the risk of seeming too self-absorbed".[13]