''Poniente'' is a 2002 Spanish film directed by Chus Gutiérrez and co-written by Icíar Bollaín which stars Cuca Escribano and

José Coronado José María Coronado García (born 14 August 1957) is a Spanish film and television actor and former model. His performances playing (often corrupt and/or morally dubious) law enforcement officer roles have brought him some of the greatest succ ...

alongside

Mariola Fuentes Mariola Fuentes (born 1970, Marbella) is a Spanish actress. She usually plays tragicomical characters. She started to be known in 1997, thanks to her role in ''Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí''. In 1998, her role in the TVE1 series ...

, Antonio Dechent and Farid Fatmi.

Plot

The backdrop in which the fiction takes place is based on the 2000 El Ejido race riots. Upon Lucía's return to her hometown of "La Isla" in the

province of Almería Almería (, also , ) is a province of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Murcia, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is the homonymous city of Almería. Almería has an area of . With 701, ...

and taking possession of a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

inherited from her deceased father, she is witness to a concerning situation at the intensive farming complex in the province, featuring abuse inflicted on the North-African undocumented immigrant labourers, who live under deplorable conditions. This situation pits her against her cousin Miguel while bonds her closer to Curro (a migrant returned from Switzerland who presses for better conditions for the workers) and Perla, a prostitute.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was penned by Chus Gutiérrez in collaboration with Icíar Bollaín. The film was produced by Olmo Films and Amboto Audiovisual, with the participation of Antena 3 and Vía Digital. Shooting locations included Torrenueva (province of Granada) and

Cabo de Gata Cabo de Gata is a cape located in Níjar, Almería in the south of Spain, one of the biggest capes. It is the driest place in the Iberian Peninsula (150-170 mm average precipitation, being the lowest 52 mm in 1981). However, the area th ...

(province of Almería).

Release

Picked up for the 'Upstream' () section lineup of the

59th Venice International Film Festival The 59th annual Venice International Film Festival was held between 29 August to 8 September 2002. The Golden Lion was awarded to The Magdalene Sisters directed by Peter Mullan. Jury The following people comprised the 2002 jury: * Li Gong (Chi ...

, the film was presented on 1 September 2002 at the aforementioned festival. It also screened at the 27th Toronto International Film Festival later in September. Distributed by Araba Films, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 13 September 2002.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of '' Variety'' assessed ''Poniente'' to be Gutiérrez' "strongest film to date", a "socially committed, dexterously plotted drama" and "an all-too-rare Spanish take on the issue of

racism in Europe Racism has been a recurring part of the history of Europe. Austria There has been racism in various parts of Austria. Since the start of the European migrant crisis in 2015, there has been increase in the number of cases of racism. Belarus Bu ...

". Mirito Torreiro of '' Fotogramas'' scored 3 out of 5 stars, writing that the film takes a firm stance in favour of the dispossessed, while resenting the film's excessive "schematism".

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Cite journal, title=United Spains? North African Immigration and the Question of Spanish Identity in ''Poniente'', first=Raquel, last=Vega-Durán, journal=Afro-Hispanic Review, year=2013, volume=32, issue=1, pages=159–180, jstor=23617263 2002 drama films 2002 films Spanish romantic drama films Films shot in the province of Almería Films shot in the province of Granada Films about immigration to Spain Films about racism in Spain 2000s Spanish-language films Films set in Andalusia 2000s Spanish films