The Blind Sunflowers (2008)
"Los girasoles ciegos" (original title)

Ourense, Spain, 1940. Every time that Elena locks the door, she locks her secrets. Her husband Ricardo spend years hidden in his house with his children (Elenita and Lorenzo), trying to ... See full summary »

Director:

José Luis Cuerda

Writers:

Rafael Azcona (adaptation), José Luis Cuerda (adaptation),

Stars:

Maribel Verdú, Javier Cámara, Raúl Arévalo

8 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maribel Verdú	...	Elena
Javier Cámara	...	Ricardo
Raúl Arévalo	...	Salvador
Roger Príncep	...	Lorenzo
José Ángel Egido	...	Rector
Martiño Rivas	...	Lalo (as Martín Rivas)
Irene Escolar	...	Elenita
Juan Antonio Quintana
Fernando Ransanz
David Janer	...	Falangista
Ricardo de Barreiro	...	Fernández
Miguel de Lira	...	Hermano
Fanny de Castro	...	Tía Lola
Carmen Losa	...	Sobrina
Mario Roldán

Storyline

Ourense, Spain, 1940. Every time that Elena locks the door, she locks her secrets. Her husband Ricardo spend years hidden in his house with his children (Elenita and Lorenzo), trying to dodge persecution. Salvador, a priest confused after battling in the front, returns to seminary in Ourense.

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Plot Keywords:

secret | repression | crying baby | falling out a window | confined to home | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official [es]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

29 August 2008 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Blind Sunflowers

Filming Locations:

Arahuetes, Segovia, Castilla y León, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Estudios Organizativos y Proyectos Cinematográficos S.L., Producciones A Modiño, Producciones Labarouta

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 98 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

José Luis Cuerda and Maribel Verdú simultaneously suggested Raúl Arévalo for the role.

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Soundtracks

"Tatuaje"
Music by Manuel L. Quiroga
Lyrics by Rafael de León and Xandro Valerio
Performed by Concha Piquer

User Reviews

Only Maribel Verdú filled the screen.

Galicia, 1940. When "Elena" (Maribel Verdú) closes the door of his house, closes with her great secrecy. At the same time that survives the rigors of the Spanish post-civil war, "Elena" keeps next to his son "Lorenzo" (Roger Princep) a facade of the appearance to hide the truth about his family: "Elenita" (Irene School), her teenage daughter, pregnant, has escaped with her boyfriend "Lalo" (Martin Rivas), a young man who takes months in the lists of the police; and "Ricardo" (Javier Cámara), her husband, lives hidden in a hole manufactured in the bedroom. If that were recently, the emergence of "Salvador" (Raul Arévalo), a deacon with doubts about his imminent priesthood, complicate things...

We are in front of a film, a history or historical circumstances real surrounding it, that account something that appeals very directly to the heart of the viewer. It is very difficult not to feel sympathies or antipathies by the real people who may be behind the characters in fiction. In this way, it is easy to enter in the world that we describes and, consequently, watching the film with sympathy, forgive their judgments and judged positively or, at least, with benevolence.

But the impression that leaves me at the end is that of a cinematic history failed by a dash little solid and confusing. Without reaching the heights of the literary, Rafael Azcona (his last script), and Jose Luis Cuerda, take various brush strokes of the story of the novel by Alberto Mendez. We deserve special attention by the background of their words and writing of the dialogs, the scenes between Raul Arevalo and Jose Angel Egido.

But the impression that leaves me at the end is that of a cinematic history failed by a dash little solid and confusing. Without reaching the heights of the literary, Rafael Azcona (his last indent), and Jose Luis Cuerda, take various brush strokes of the story of the novel by Alberto Mendez. The scenes between Raul Arevalo and Jose Angel Egido, deserve special attention by the background of its words and writing of the dialogs.

"Ricardo" (Javier Cámara), despite being a character of enormous suffering, Cámara fails to transmit the viewer. It's a work failed.

Maribel Verdú, to which the irony has put the orders of the same director who rejected of young girl in a casting, arguing that it was too beautiful, and to point was to reject now by too flaca. So it, even with hips dentures including to be as voluptuous that requires his character, we offer with her excellent performance.

If, however, we can say that "Los Girasoles ciegos" has a meticulous and well set staging. It is a huge penalty that this is the last legacy of Rafael Azcona but films like "Plácido", "El verdugo" or "La grande bouffe" will pay tribute that this great author it deserves.

It's inevitable the feeling that it could have achieved far more merit to this argument, in addition to not be well counted, the secondary plot to the teenage daughter, fits very badly in the script, and is not well used. The general set of the film is simply acceptable.