The Teacher Who Promised the Sea (Spanish: El maestro que prometió el mar) is a 2023 Spanish historical drama film directed by Patricia Font from a screenplay by Albert Val, based on the book by Francesc Escribano. It stars Enric Auquer and Laia Costa alongside Luisa Gavasa.
| The Teacher Who Promised the Sea | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Spanish | El maestro que prometió el mar |
| Directed by | Patricia Font |
| Screenplay by | Albert Val |
| Based on |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | David Valldelpérez |
| Edited by | Dani Arregui |
| Music by | Natasha Arizu |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Filmax |
Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Languages |
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| Box office | €1.7 million[1] |
Plot
editThe plot tracks the story of Catalan teacher Antoni Benaiges, destined in 1935 to a small village in the province of Burgos (introducing innovative and inspiring teaching methods from France among the children before being murdered by Falangists during the Civil War), as well as the present-day story of Ariadna, searching for her great-grandfather, who disappeared during the War.[2][3][4][n. 1]
Cast
edit- Enric Auquer as Antoni Benaiges[5]
- Laia Costa as Ariadna[5]
- Luisa Gavasa as Charo[6]
- Gael Aparicio as Carlos[7]
- Alba Hermoso as Josefina[7]
- Nicolás Calvo as Emilio (child)[7]
- Milo Taboada as Primitivo[7]
- Ramon Agirre as Emilio (old)[7]
Production
editWritten by Albert Val, the screenplay is an adaptation of the book by Francesc Escribano. The film is a Minoria Absoluta, Lastor Media, Filmax, and Mestres Films AIE production with the participation of RTVE and TV3 and backing from ICAA and ICEC.[3][2] Shooting locations included Mura and Briviesca.[5][8]
Release
editThe film had its world premiere at the 68th Valladolid International Film Festival on 27 October 2023.[9][10][11] Distributed by Filmax, it was released theatrically in Spain on 10 November 2023.[12][13][14] It opened in only 83 screens, but the satisfactory box office performance (with a positive weekly change in the gross reportedly owing to the word of mouth) led to an increase in the number of screens up to 124.[14] Distributed by Palace Films,[15] it opened in Australian theatres on 26 July 2024 in 22 screens, eventually grossing $436,744.[16] It was released theatrically in Italy on 19 September 2024 in 84 screens, likewise coming to gross €551,066.[16]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[17]
Ekaitz Ortega of HobbyConsolas rated the film with 73 points ('good') highlighting how it "has its own identity, it is not complacent and the two [lead] actors standing out", as the best things about it.[18]
Enid Román Almansa of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars underscoring "a very sad and terrible story, a very beautiful film".[4]
Jason Blake of Limelight rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be "a powerful reminder that the scars of Spain's 20th century history are everywhere".[19]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 |
11th Feroz Awards | Best Actor in a Film | Enric Auquer | Nominated | [20] |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Luisa Gavasa | Nominated | |||
| 16th Gaudí Awards | Best Non-Catalan Language Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Albert Val | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Enric Auquer | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Josep Rosell | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Maria Armengol | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Patricia Reyes | Nominated | |||
| 38th Goya Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Albert Val | Nominated | [22] | |
| Best Actor | Enric Auquer | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Luisa Gavasa | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Natasha Arizu | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Maria Armengol | Nominated | |||
Notes
edit- ^
Bañuelos de Bureba (Burgos) and Mont-roig del Camp (Tarragona)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Cine español: 1 - 3 marzo 2024" (PDF). Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Patrícia Font rueda 'El maestro que prometió el mar' con Enric Auquer y Laia Costa". Europa Press. 14 September 2022.
- ^ a b Foreman, Liza (3 November 2022). "Filmax Swoops on Spanish Civil War Drama (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ a b Román Almansa, Enid (7 November 2023). "Crítica de 'El maestro que prometió el mar': Antoni Benaiges, el profesor que enseñó a los niños a ser niños". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ a b c Marroquín, Alberto (25 October 2022). "Claqueta final para la película del maestro Benaiges". El Correo de Burgos.
- ^ "El maestro que prometió el mar". Filmax. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Úbeda-Portugués, Alberto (6 November 2023). "Los estrenos del 10 de noviembre. 'El maestro que prometió el mar'. Lo que no se olvida". Aisge.
- ^ Díaz, Alba (26 September 2022). "Mura acull el rodatge de «El mestre que va prometre el mar», de Patrícia Font". Regió7. Prensa Ibérica.
- ^ "Martín Cuenca, Méndez Esparza, Patiño, Iriarte y Ferrés, a concurso en una Seminci con mucho cine español". La Vanguardia. 23 August 2023.
- ^ "Seminci 2023: las películas españolas más destacadas que se verán en el festival". Cinemanía. 23 August 2023 – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ "Calendario de Proyecciones" (PDF). seminci.com (in Spanish).
- ^ Marroquín, Alberto (12 August 2023). "'El maestro que prometió el mar' llegará a los cines el 10 de noviembre". El Correo de Burgos.
- ^ Marroquín, Alberto (30 November 2023). "'El maestro que prometió el mar' logra cinco nominaciones a los Premios Goya". El Correo de Burgos.
- ^ a b Belategi, Oskar (7 December 2023). "El maestro republicano que llena los cines". El Correo. Grupo Vocento.
- ^ Wood, Julian (August 2024). "The Teacher who Promised the Sea". FilmInk.
- ^ a b Hopewell, John (7 November 2024). "'The Teacher Who Promised the Sea' Rolls Out Sales, Notable International Box Office for Filmax". Variety.
- ^ "The Teacher Who Promised the Sea". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ Ortega, Ekaitz (8 November 2023). "Crítica de El maestro que prometió el mar: la visión de un profesor de la República". HobbyConsolas.
- ^ Blake, Jason (10 July 2024). "The Teacher who Promised the Sea (Patricia Font)". Limelight.
- ^ Álvarez Patilla, Diego (27 January 2024). "» Cultura Premios Feroz 2024: '20.000 especies de abejas', 'Robot Dreams' y 'La Mesías' dominan la lista de ganadores". rtve.es.
- ^ Oteo, Jana (5 February 2024). "Premios Gaudí 2024: Lista completa de los ganadores". La Razón.
- ^ Hopewell, John (11 February 2024). "Spain's Goya Awards: J.A. Bayona's 'Society of the Snow' Wins Best Picture, Director as Sigourney Weaver Receives an International Goya". Variety.
External links
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