Romería

Marina (Llúcia Garcia) is 18 years old and became an orphan at a young age. To get a signature for a scholarship application, she travels to the Atlantic coast of Spain to visit her paternal grandparents, whom she has never met before. There, she finds herself among many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and she is unsure whether she is welcome or will face resistance. As old emotions return, tenderness grows again, and unspoken wounds from the past become visible, Marina tries to rebuild the fragmented and often conflicting memories of her parents. Romería, partly based on the life of director Carla Simón, is an intimate and visually impressive drama. The film shows how imagination can bring comfort and reconciliation. It is the last part of a trilogy in which Simón explores her personal history. While Summer 1993 and Alcarràs take place in the Catalan countryside, this film is set in the northwest of Spain, in Galicia, and shows a hidden chapter of Spanish history through the struggles of a searching generation. Despite the different setting and tone compared to her earlier films, Simón confirms her position as one of the most important voices in contemporary Spanish cinema. Romería was a big success in Spain, with more than 120,000 viewers in the first week, and had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.