Salve Maria
| Salve Maria | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Mar Coll |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Amek ez dute by Katixa Agirre |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Nilo Zimmermann |
| Edited by | Aina Calleja |
| Music by | Zeltia Montes |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Elastica Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Languages |
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Salve Maria is a 2024 Spanish drama film directed, co-written by Mar Coll starring Laura Weissmahr. Based on the novel Amek ez dute by Basque writer Katixa Agirre,[1] it follows Maria (Weissmahr), a promising young writer and new mother, who becomes obsessed by the case of a woman who drowned her twins in the bathtub.[2] The film competed for Golden Leopard in main competition of 77th Locarno Film Festival[3] and had its world premiere on 8 August 2024.[4] It is mostly shot in Catalan.[5]
Synopsis
Maria, a talented young author and new mother, comes across a disturbing headline: a French woman has drowned her 10-month-old twins in the bathtub. This horrifying event captures Maria's thoughts, turning into an all-consuming fixation. She grapples with the question: Why did the woman commit such an act? From then on, the shadow of infanticide hangs over Maria's existence, haunting her.
Cast
Production
Salve Maria marks the return of Mar Coll to the cinema. Produced by Escándalo Films and Elastica Films with the support of ICEC and ICAA, and the participation of RTVE and Movistar Plus+.[7]
Mar Coll talking to Variety about the protagonist said, "María is a repentant mother, an association of words that generates automatic unease".[8]
Filming began in the last week of January 2024 in Barcelona, La Vall de Boí (Lleida Pyrenees) and Tarragona.[9]
Release
Salve Maria premiered on 8 August 2024, as part of the 77th Locarno Film Festival, in Competition.[10][11] It also made it to the official selection slate of the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival.[12]
The film will be released on 31 October 2024 in theatres by Elastica Films.[13]
Reception
Mariana Hristova reviewing the film at Locarno for Cineuropa indicated that while the script is skillfully written and effectively portrays the protagonist's intense emotions, the focus on symptoms rather than delving into the underlying reasons for the character's emotional breakdown feels superficial. The obvious pressures of personal time constraints and societal expectations related to motherhood are explored, but deeper analysis is lacking.[14]
Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily described Salve Maria as a film "whose concerns feel totally in tune with the times".[5]
Beatriz Martínez of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be a "dark, tremendously disturbing, suffocating work that talks about motherhood and postpartum depression in an unprecedented way".[15]
Philipp Engel of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, declaring it "impeccable in its form".[16]
Carmela López Lobo of La Razón rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting "Laura Weissmahr's excellent work" and the "deeply unsettling" nature of the film as its best.[17]
Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País wrote that the chilling picture "confronts the viewer with the tragedy of a woman dragged into the repulsion of her own flesh".[18]
Accolades
| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locarno Film Festival | 17 August 2024 | Golden Leopard | Mar Coll | Nominated | [19] |
| Special Mention | Special Mention | [20] | |||
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 26 October 2024 | Golden Spike | Salve Maria | Nominated | [21][22] |
| Best Actress | Laura Weissmahr | Won | |||
| El Gouna Film Festival | 1 November 2024 | Best Actress | Won | ||
| Gaudí Awards | 18 January 2025 | Best Film | Salve Maria | Pending | [24] |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Mar Coll, Valentina Viso | Pending | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Oriol Pla | Pending | |||
| Best New Performance | Laura Weissmahr | Pending | |||
| Best Cinematography | Nilo Zimmerman | Pending | |||
| Best Original Score | Zeltia Montes | Pending | |||
| Best Editing | Aina Calleja | Pending | |||
| Feroz Awards | 25 January 2025 | Best Drama Film | Salve Maria | Pending | |
| Best Main Actress in a Film | Laura Weissmahr | Pending | |||
| Best Film Poster | Octavio Terol, Lluís Tudela | Pending | |||
| Best Original Soundtrack | Zeltia Montes | Pending | |||
| Goya Awards | 8 February 2025 | Best New Actress | Laura Weissmahr | Pending | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Mar Coll, Valentina Viso | Pending |
References
- ^ "'Salve Maria', la película basada en 'Amek ez dute' de Katixa Agirre, participará en el Festival de Locarno" ['Salve Maria', the film based on 'Amek ez dute' by Katixa Agirre, will participate in the Locarno Festival]. EiTB (in Spanish). 11 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ Coll, Mar (10 July 2024). "Salve Maria". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (10 July 2024). "Locarno Fest Lineup Includes Hong Sang-soo, Paz Vega Films, Honors for Mélanie Laurent, Guillaume Canet". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "Salve Maria". Locarno Film Festival. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Holland, Jonathan (24 October 2024). "'Salve Maria': Valladolid Review". ScreenDaily.
- ^ a b Batlle, Diego (8 August 2024). "Críticas de Competencia Internacional: "Salve María", de Mar Coll; y "La Mort viendra", de Christoph Hochhäusler - #Locarno2024". Otros Cines.
- ^ Rivera, Alfonso (25 January 2024). "Mar Coll returns to cinema with Salve Maria". Cineuropa. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ Marta Balaga (10 July 2024). "Locarno Reveals Lineup, Names Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet for Career Achievement Awards". Variety. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Comienza el rodaje de 'Las madres no', la nueva película de Mar Coll" [Filming begins on 'Las madres no', the new film by Mar Coll]. The Seventh Art (in Spanish). 24 January 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: First clip for Locarno entry Salve Maria". Cineuropa. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ González, Carlos (9 August 2024). "Mar Coll estrena en Locarno su visión de 'Las madres no'". Noticias de Álava.
- ^ "Paz Vega, Carlos Marques-Marcet y Mar Coll entre los directores del extraordinario despliegue de títulos españoles para la 69 edición de Seminci" [Paz Vega, Carlos Marques-Marcet y Mar Together with the directors of the extraordinary description of Spanish titles for the 69th edition of Seminci]. El Mundo. 26 August 2024.
- ^ "SALVE MARIA, de Mar Coll, os presenta esta maravilla de póster. Y tiene nueva fecha de estreno en cines: 31 de octubre" [SA LVE MARIA, by Ma r Coll, presents this wonderful poster. And it has a new release date in theaters: October 31st]. Elastica Films (in Spanish). X. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Hristova, Mariana (8 August 2024). "Review: Salve Maria". Cineuropa. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ Martínez, Beatriz (31 October 2024). "Crítica de 'Salve María', una de las películas más valientes del cine español reciente que habla de la maternidad y de la depresión posparto de una manera inédita". Fotogramas.
- ^ Engel, Philipp (30 October 2024). "Crítica de 'Salve María': clásica atracción por el abismo con elementos del género y reivindicación feminista". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ López Lobo, Carmela (1 November 2024). "Crítica de "Salve María": la peor cara de la maternidad ★★★★". La Razón.
- ^ Fernández-Santos, Elsa (31 October 2024). "'Salve María': Mar Coll compone un escalofriante cuadro sobre las tinieblas de la maternidad". El País.
- ^ "Locarno77: The Pardo d'Oro goes to Akiplėša (Toxic) by Saulė Bliuvaitė, a striking vision of the teenage female body as a battleground". Locarno Festival. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Georg Szalai (17 August 2024). "Locarno Film Festival Top Prize Goes to Lithuanian Drama 'Toxic,' the Feature Debut of Saule Bliuvaite". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Rivera, Alfonso (27 August 2024). "18 Spanish films set to take part in the 69th Seminci". Cineuropa. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Juesas, María (26 October 2024). "Seminci 2024: 'Misericordia', del francés Alain Guiraudie, conquista el festival de Valladolid". Fotogramas.
- ^ Ross, Rafa Sales (1 November 2024). "French Thriller About Syrian Exiles 'Ghost Trail' Wins Top Prize at El Gouna Film Festival". Variety.
- ^ Gaviria, Pere (5 December 2024). ""El 47", rècord de nominacions als Premis Gaudí amb 18 candidatures: consulta la llista". 3/24 (in Catalan). Retrieved 5 December 2024 – via 3Cat.
- ^ Pinilla J., Esther (28 November 2024). "La lista completa de los nominados a los Premios Feroz 2025" [The complete list of nominees for the 2025 Feroz Awards]. Telecinco (in Spanish).
- ^ Partearroyo, Daniel de (18 December 2024). "Premios Goya 2025: 'El 47' domina con 14 nominaciones, seguida de 'La infiltrada'" [Goya Awards 2025: 'El 47' dominates with 14 nominations, followed by 'The Infiltrator']. Cinemanía (in Spanish) – via 20minutos.es.
