The Daughter (2021)

This intriguing and suspenseful film contains tense scenes , thrills , chills , drama , mystery , adding some disturbing , shocking frames and anything else . Concerning a pregnant teenager called Irene comes to a tense agreement with the marriage , Javier and Adela , sheltering her . As Javier Gutiérrez plays a youthful educator from a center for teens who takes Irene – finely performed by the debutant Irene Virgüez – into his own home , as she’s a fourteen-year-old pregnant teenager whom Javier along with his wife Patricia López Arnaiz will take over , violating the law , in order to help her with the future baby . But then things go wrong.Interesting and thoughtful movie concerning an unhappy couple who takes a pregnant adolescent about to be born her baby , and from where a game of lies and false culprits to be slowly built , as the baby’s birth takes place , a violent outbreak of passions and revenge will happen . La Hija or The Daughter rests on the ability of its audience to connect with this premise , having a sui-generis Roman Polanski inspiration in the use of spaces and violence – physical and structural – in which the peculiar roles are three modifiable and bizarre characters that act guided by motivations that are not always understandable , but , at least , identifiable . The tension that Martín Cuenca builds is developed little by little , and it comes to a constant foreground , so the unsettling moments of brooding and thought-provoking drama seem to divide the film into two distinct sections ; on the one hand , the hard relation among the starring trio that tenses step by step , on the other hand , the best part being the splendid final in which the thorny conflict outbursts . Needless to say , it is worth highlighting above all , the very solvent interpretive work of the main trio , the aforementioned Javier Gutiérrez and Patricia López Arnaiz and the beginner Irene Virgüez . Based on an attractive story by Félix Vidal , being well adapted by Martín Cuenca himself , as he has success enough in shooting the sustained tension , though with a fundamental rigidity in the forms , it is due to his particular talent to use the spaces in and out of house , all of them in favor of the engaging story and turn them into an active part of the set . The Daughter may be a truly rewarding movie once within its precepts , resulting in a widely enjoyable picture that displays a formidable and effective oppressive aesthetic and besides , being delightfully ambiguous . Furthermore , this agreeable flick showing a sour denounce about adoption mechanisms , adolescent pregnancy , social services , as well as human badness , abuses , egoism and a difficult election for life . Here stands out the trio of fabulous protagonists giving terrific interpretations , such as Javier Gutiérrez , Patricia López Arnaiz and the newcomer Irene Virgüez who makes a portentous debut . Adding an acceptable remaining support cast such as : Juan Carlos Villanueva , María Morales and Sofian El Benaissati .It packs a colorful and brilliant cinematography by Marc Gómez del Mora , providing an adequate staging and camera management , showing gorgeous landscapes , sierras and mountains from Jaén countryside . As well as evocative and thrilling musical score , including Vetusta Morla who performs the song Reina de las trincheras . The motion picture was originally written and competently directed by Manuel Martin Cuenca , including a nice camera work with a lot of aerial sights , though it turns out to be slow moving and a little bit boring , at times . It won various nominations and awards , such as : Feroz Awards, ES 2022 Nominee Feroz Award Best Original Score Vetusta Morla ; Goya Awards 2022 Nominee Goya Best Director Manuel Martín Cuenca , Best Lead Actor , Javier Gutiérrez and Tokyo International Film Festival 2021 Nominee Tokyo Grand Prix Best Film . Director Manuel Martin Cuenca has established himself as one of Spain’s most artistically astute directors , his works consist in thoughtful stories , evolving in skillness and style . Martin Cuenca was born in 1965 Almeria , Andalucia , region where he usually shoots his films . He is a good writer and director, especially known for El autor (2017) , El Canibal (2013) , La mitad de Oscar (2010) , La flaqueza del Bolchevique (2003) , Malas Temporadas (2005) , 4 puntos cardinales (2002) and for TV : El Tesoro and 14 Abril La Republica . Being his best one : Cannibal or Canibal (2013) . Rating : 7/10 . Worthwhile watching. The picture will appeal to Spanish cinema fans and drama/thriller buffs .