The Fury of a Patient Man

In a squalid working-class cafe located in a barrio somewhere in Madrid, hard-working single mother Ana struggles to make ends meet as a bartender, living a simple and routine life with her only son. Patiently, for the past eight long years, Ana has been waiting for her criminal boyfriend Curro's release, while in the meantime, the unassuming and gentle Jose has already become a regular customer spending a lot of time in her cafe, quite obviously in fond of her. And then, one day, Curro is finally released, still violent and resentful after his long-lasting incarceration, threatening not only Ana's peace but also her tentative and fragile romance with Jose. Eventually, having no other choice but to escape, Ana will accept Jose's offer to live with her son in his secluded cottage, completely unaware though of quiet Jose's inscrutable and utterly impelling motives. —Nick Riganas