The Blind Sunflowers (film)
2008 Spanish film
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The Blind Sunflowers (Spanish: Los girasoles ciegos) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by José Luis Cuerda, who wrote the screenplay alongside Rafael Azcona, based on the 2004 novel The Blind Sunflowers by Alberto Méndez. The film stars Maribel Verdú, Javier Cámara and Raúl Arévalo.
- José Luis Cuerda
- Rafael Azcona
| The Blind Sunflowers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Spanish | Los girasoles ciegos |
| Directed by | José Luis Cuerda |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Hans Burmann |
| Edited by | Nacho Ruiz Capillas |
| Music by | Lucio Godoy |
| 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.
Plot
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, who 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.
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
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 23rd Goya Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [1] | |
| Best Director | José Luis Cuerda | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Rafael Azcona & José Luis Cuerda | Won | |||
| Best Original Score | Lucio Godoy | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Raúl Arévalo | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Maribel Verdú | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | José Ángel Egido | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actor | Martiño Rivas | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Emiliano Otegui | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Hans Burmann | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Nacho Ruiz Capillas | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Balter Gallart | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Sonia Grande | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Fermín Galán & Sylvie Imbert | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Alfonso Raposo, María Sternberg & Ricardo Steinberg | Nominated | |||
| 18th Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actress in a Leading Role | Maribel Verdú | Nominated | [2][3] | |
| Best Film Actor in a Leading Role | Raúl Arévalo | Nominated | |||
| Best Film Actor in a Minor Role | José Ángel Egido | Won | |||
See also
- List of Spanish films of 2008
- List of Spanish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
- List of submissions to the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- The Endless Trench, another Spanish film about a man hiding in his home after the war.
