Julieta (2016)

After a casual encounter, a brokenhearted woman decides to confront her life and the most important events about her stranded daughter.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar, Alice Munro (basado en "Destino", "Pronto" y "Silencio" de)

Stars:

Emma Suárez, Adriana Ugarte, Daniel Grao

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 13 wins & 59 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emma Suárez	...	Julieta
Adriana Ugarte	...	Julieta Joven
Daniel Grao	...	Xoan
Inma Cuesta	...	Ava
Darío Grandinetti	...	Lorenzo (as Dario Grandinetti)
Michelle Jenner	...	Beatriz
Pilar Castro	...	Claudia (Madre de Beatriz)
Nathalie Poza	...	Juana
Susi Sánchez	...	Sara (Madre de Julieta)
Joaquín Notario	...	Samuel (Padre de Julieta)
Priscilla Delgado	...	Antía (Adolescente)
Blanca Parés	...	Antía (18 años)
Ariadna Martín
Rossy de Palma	...	Marian
Sara Jiménez	...	Beatriz (Adolescente)

Storyline

Julieta (Emma Suarez) is a middle-aged woman living in Madrid with her boyfriend Lorenzo. Both are going to move to Portugal when she casually runs into Bea, former best friend of her daughter Antia, who reveals that this one is living in Switzerland married and with three children. With the heart broken after 12 years of total absence of her daughter, Julieta cancels the journey to Portugal and she moves to her former building, in the hope that Antia someday communicates with her sending a letter. Alone with her thoughts, Julieta starts to write her memories to confront the pain of the events happened when she was a teenager (Adriana Ugarte) and met Xoan, a Galician fisherman. Falling in love with him, Julieta divides her time between the family, the job and the education of Antia until a fatal accident changes their lives. Slowly decaying in a depression, Julieta is helped by Antia and Bea, but one day Antia goes missing suddenly after a vacation with no clues about where to find ...

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | nudity | sex on a train | friendship between girls | letter | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official Site [Spain]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

21 December 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chuljeta

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€1,350,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€610,590 (Spain), 8 April 2016, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$64,044, 23 December 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,489,848, 28 April 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,472,253, 16 January 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Echo Lake Entertainment, Canal+ France, Ciné +

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to prepare for the main role of Julieta, Emma Suárez went through the entire filmography of Pedro Almodóvar again, specifically paying attention to the powerful leading performances of such actresses as Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes, Victoria Abril, Penélope Cruz or Cecilia Roth.

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Goofs

When the train does an emergency brake and luggage and people are being tossed all over the place a coffee cup and coffee pot in front of the main character remains undisturbed.

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Connections

References A Separation (2011)

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Soundtracks

Si no te vas
Written by Cuco Sánchez
Performed by Chavela Vargas

User Reviews

Immaculate piece of cinema

The screenplay of 'Julieta' is constructed with almost mathematical precision. In one of the first scenes, director Almodovar presents the question that is central to the rest of the film: what happened to the daughter of lead character Julieta? Most of the film consists of a long flashback, in which he slowly reveals the circumstances and events that led to her disappearance. At the end of the film, we are back in the present again, and we know everything there is to know.

It's a story Hitchcock would have been proud of: there is suspense, a beautiful blonde femme fatale, and psychological story elements. Not only the story, but also the cinematography is reminiscent of the master of suspense. Every scene is shot with extreme attention to lighting, colour and camera angle. Small details are the cherry on the cake: notice the way Almodovar introduces the birthday cake for the disappeared daughter: shot from above, as if it is a surreal work of art. Another example is the short sex scene in the train: the viewer sees only Julieta's head, but the rest of her body is reflected in the window pane behind her. As a director, Almodovar wants as much to be in control as Hitch. The result is a very beautiful film in every way - even the soundtrack is extremely tasteful.

'Julieta' is an elegantly filmed drama. There are no outrageous characters, exuberant scenes or other colourful elements we know from his earlier films. This is a restrained, precise and in every way immaculate piece of cinema.