'The Abbess': or how some nuns from the 9th century serve as symbols of today's sorority

The so-called

Miró law,

enacted in 1984 during Pilar Miró's term as Director General of Cinema, attempted to promote, through subsidies, quality cinema that aspired to participate in the best international festivals and, following the French model, was based or inspired by themes and texts with broad cultural and artistic roots.

The main consequence of that controversial rule was the disappearance of genre cinema, of the effervescence of trash culture, of uncovered cinema, of fantaterror and of unprejudiced adventure.

In return, some great films were produced that adapted fundamental texts of our literature, with works such as

The Holy Innocents

and

Bohemian Lights

as paradigms.

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Christian cinema always has someone who sees it

As praised by some as it was criticized by others, the measure promoted by the director of

The Crime of Cuenca

now returns to memory with a film as against the current in these times as

The Abbess,

tenth feature film by veteran Antonio Chavarrías.

A work with the pedigree of that cinema produced under the protection of the

Miró law,

both in terms of the theme and the visual and production aspect, but which, like some of those titles from the eighties, most normally goes unnoticed in a social, cultural and production panorama like the contemporary one, in which it is difficult to see what type of audience will come to the theaters to see a bet like this, with no other seal than its presence at the Malaga festival and without a prize.

In fact, both because of the subject matter and because of the prominence and the parallels between that world and ours,

The Abbess

connects directly with one of the most ambitious productions that the fewest viewers saw of those developed in those years of promotion of quality cinema

:

Outside the Walls,

by Miguel Picazo.

Daniela Brown and Carlos Cuevas, in 'The Abbess'.

Set in the 9th century,

The Abbess

delves into the Early Middle Ages at a time when Christianity was trying to repopulate lands for its creed, in contrast to Islam, with which it was in constant war, and high-born families had of their children as a currency of power.

The protagonist is a 17-year-old girl, daughter of a count, who takes charge of a group of nuns much older than her and from whom blind obedience is demanded from the nobility.

However, in line with what Teresa of Jesús assumed six centuries later, the young woman is becoming a rebel with the curia, who does not accept only the spiritual recollection that is expected of her, and who feels the temptations of flesh in his relationship with a deacon: “As if my body demanded needs that I do not know.”

The concomitances with certain major current issues are almost obvious: religious wars, sorority, male misgivings about a woman's power, and even refugees: “They are not from here.

“Food, for those who are from our lands.”

Chavarrías, with an uneven career but with some solid works, such as

Volverás

(2002),

The Lives of Celia

(2006) and

The Chosen One

(2016), about Ramón Mercader, murderer of León Trotsky, articulates his film with elegant planning and beautiful photography by Julián Elizalde, which takes advantage of the grandeur of the snowy landscapes in a very commendable production, in addition to the beauty of the Loarre castle, adapted to become an abbey.

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However, overused and without enough plot and emotional support to fully engage with the substance, it is the form that ends up dominating a product that is hardly reproachable, but which will hardly find its audience.

Around 150,000 spectators saw

Extramuros

in 1985, and it was considered a failure despite the award for best actress in San Sebastián for Mercedes Sampietro.

A few months ago another 31,000 viewers saw

Teresa,

by Paula Ortiz, dominated by a well-known cast and with the garb of a director with a reputation for style.

The Abbess

Director:

Antonio Chavarrías.

Performers:

Daniela Brown, Blanca Romero, Carlos Cuevas, Ernest Villegas. 

Genre:

drama.

Spain, 2024.

Duration:

122 minutes.

Premiere: March 22.

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