Elisa & Marcela (2019)

In 1901, Elisa Sanchez Loriga took on the identity of Mario Sánchez to marry her lover of fifteen years, Marcela Gracia Ibeas.

Director:

Isabel Coixet

Writers:

Isabel Coixet (screenplay by), Narciso de Gabriel (based on the literary essay by)

Stars:

Natalia de Molina, Greta Fernández, Sara Casasnovas

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Natalia de Molina	...	Elisa Sánchez Loriga
Greta Fernández	...	Marcela Gracia Ibeas
Sara Casasnovas	...	Ana
Tamar Novas	...	Andrés
Lluís Homar	...	Gobernador Oporto
Manolo Solo	...	Alcaide
María Pujalte	...	Madre de Marcela
Francesc Orella	...	Padre de Marcela
Kelly Lua	...	Flor
Manuel Lourenzo	...	Párroco Victor Cortiella
Jorge Suquet	...	Médico de Dumbría
Ana Santos	...	Vecina Mayor
Mariana Carballal	...	Monja / Profesora Historia
Roberto Leal	...	Sacerdote de Dumbría
Luisa Merelas	...	Monja Ciega

Storyline

The first same-sex marriage in Spain to take place after the Roman Imperial era occurred on 8 June 1901. Two women, Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sanchez Loriga, attempted to get married in A Coruña (Galicia, Spain). To achieve it Elisa had to adopt a male identity: Mario Sánchez, as listed on the marriage certificate.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | female full frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish Portuguese

Release Date:

7 June 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elisa & Marcela

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lanube Películas, Axencia Galega das Industrias Culturais (AGADIC), Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals (ICEC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Greta Fernández replaced María Valverde due to scheduling conflicts.

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Goofs

Some men in the film, particularly the woodcutters, have longish hair and beards. While beards were somewhat out of fashion at the turn of the 20th century, they weren't unheard-of. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find pictures of any European or white North American men with long hair.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, photos of real-life lesbian couples are shown.

User Reviews

Visual Poetry

I wasn't expecting an arthouse film but a traditional narrative, and so was pleasantly surprised. The formal critic reviews I read beforehand, were overly harsh methinx. Using contemporary film-making styles with dramatic dialogue, scenes of conflict, characterisatiion development etc to drive a plot, would not have enhanced it in my view. While the critics were "eye rolling" and complaining of how slow it was moving, i was walking through an art gallery, lingering on moments captured beautifully in the B&W landscape.

It is a simple tale told with minimal dialogue primarily through imagery, with beauty, poignancy, grief, the playful innocence of the girls they once were, the elemental power of giving birth, among other things. The archetype images of the first Goddess in her aspects of Maiden, Mother, Crone across the three acts. The erotic scenes so pooh-poohed by the critics were also staged with poetic metaphors of the Feminine spiritual principle of Nature.