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Directed by Benito Zambrano Cast: Maria Galiana, Ana Fernández, Carlos Álvarez, Antonio Dechent. 1999 |
Maria and her mother
Maria takes to alcohol to forget her problems
Rosa is lost in the city
Rosa visits her husband at the hospital
Rosa helps Maria's neighbour
Maria smokes her problems away
Rosa (Maria Galiana) and Maria (Ana Fernández) meet each other after along time. Rosa, Maria's mother, travels to the city to take her husband to the hospital. Her daughter Maria is going through a rough patch: without a permanent job, almost an alcoholic, without a boyfriend who loves her and moaning about her situation. Maria complains about being a woman because for her it means to be mistreated by men and life.
Maria believes that her mother, a model of woman she is trying to walk away from, cannot help her and is in her way: an old woman, illiterate, lost in the city and subject to her husband's ill-treatment. But the more she tries to run away from that model of woman the more she behaves like it, with a job as a cleaner and a boyfriend who gets her pregnant and does not want to know about it.
Rosa will help her daughter change her life and accept her femininity. As a mother, Rosa gives a disinterested love. She respects her daughter and does not complain about her behaviour to her.
Rosa, even though she is subject to her husband, never loses her joy of life and always tries to help everyone. Her relationship with Maria's neighbour, a retired and lonely man who lives with his dog, reminds Maria that she is still a woman, and this relationship will make her understand that her mother means well.
Finally a good man, willing to come out of his loneliness and make his dream of becoming a dream come true he becomes Maria's baby's adoptive grandfather,... and while at it being related in some way to Rosa that woman who understood the secrets of life and taught them to her daughter.
The scarce 6 million of pesetas spent on Solas (Alone) do not show in the final great quality of the film, as it has been recognised at numerous film festivals. The success of Solas, made in such little money, shows that with the talents of both Benito Zambrano and the actors there are no obstacles to make a good film.
Seville is the city where the story of Solas takes place. A city well known by Benito Zambrano and the actors (all born in Seville) and which poor and conflictive neighbourhoods are portrayed in Solas as the environment where the protagonists live.
Benito Zambrano
Benito Zambrano with his family ans the cast & crew of Solas
Benito Zambrano is the people's director. The life of this Andalucian man of 34 years of age has not been the same since a day in Berlin Solas, made with a tight budget and about common people, won the Best Film Award. Since that day the film has traveled around the world, the Americans have bought the rights to distribute it in the States, the Goya Awards celebrated it and the Spanish critics voted it the Best Spanish Film of 1999, over Pedro Almodóvar's Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother).
Benito Zambrano is very happy with the success of his first feature film Solas and already thinks about the next project: " I know what I am not interested in telling: I am not interested in telling the story of a snob posh woman who decides to go to the missions in Africa, or the problems of executive men. I want to talk about characters I care about, I respect and with whom I could live with. And I am taking some tome to learn more and feel more secure".
A very down-to-earth man, he still lives in his birth town Lebrija (Sevilla) "When I am in Lebrija everything seems to be in place, I see the same people and do the same things as before, with the only difference that now I have my own flat. To keep living there is the best decision I have made this year".
Benito Zambrano with his Goya Award
Ana Fernández with her Goya Award
María Galiana with her Goya Award
Carlos Álvarez with his Goya Award
Solas (Alone) has received many awards both in Spain and Internationally. A favourite with both the public and the critics Solas has taken Spanish Cinema around the world.
Here are some of the Awards Solas has received.
Best Debut Director: Benito Zambrano for Solas (Alone).
Zambrano held his Goya by the head and in matador style he said "Grasia!" in a pure andaluz accent and dedicated the award to Benito el Gamba, his father.
Best Original Screenplay: Benito Zambrano for Solas (Alone)
Best Debut Actress: Ana Fernandez for Solas (Alone).
Ana showed happiness and said "Sorry, I have got a cold besides, one gets so nervous when they give her an award like this... I did not expect anything that has happened to me, and it has all been thanks to my friends, my family and the whole team of Solas."
Best Supporting Actress: Maria Galiana for Solas (Alone).
She became everyone's mother for a night and declared that her students (she is a History teacher) ignore that she has a second job as an actress. She dedicated her award to "the mature actresses who have not yet had their chance" and admitted that she would like to be like Bette Davis and that she has no job offers at the moment.
Best Debut Actor: Carlos Alvarez-Novoa for Solas (Alone).
He dedicated his award to all mothers, especially his own.
see more on the Goya Film Awards 1999
More Awards
- Berlin Film Festival 99- People's Award
- Lorca Cinema Spring
Festival 99-
- First Opera Prima Award
- Acting Award for Ana Fernández and Maria Galiana
- Andalucian Press Association Award
- Vitoria-Gasteiz Film Festival 99- 'Bogart' Award
- Huesca Film Festival 99- People's and Best Opera Prima Awards
- Stutgart Film Festival 99- Award for Distribution Help
- Radio Nacional de España "Critical Eye" Award
- Ceara International Film Festival 99- People's and Best Opera Prima Awards
- Moscow Film festival 99- Best Film
- Toronto Film Festival
- San Sebastián Film Festival- Best Film
- Chicago Film Festival
- Valencia Film Festival- First Award
- Valladolid International Film Week
- Tokio Film Festival 99- First Acting Award
- London Film Festival
- Bastia Film Festival-
- People's Award
- First Acting Award for Ana Fernández and Maria Galiana
- La Habana Film Festival
- New York Lincoln Center Spanish Cinema Week
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Genre: Length: 98 minutes Format: 1,85:1 Rated: 7 Awards: 5 Goya Awards:
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Special Features:
Language: Spanish Subtitles: English Buy
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