''Modesty'' ( es, Pudor, links=no) is a 2007 Spanish drama film directed by David Ulloa and

Tristán Ulloa Tristán Ulloa (born 6 May 1970) is a Spanish actor, writer, and director. Career He was born in Orléans and lived with his Spanish grandparents exiled in France. He spent his teenage years in Vigo, Galicia. His mother, Esther San Román, lives ...

, based on the novel by

Santiago Roncagliolo Santiago Rafael Roncagliolo Lohmann (born March 29, 1975) is a Peruvian writer, screenwriter, translator, and journalist. He has written five novels about fear. He is also author of a trilogy of non-fiction books on Latin America during the twent ...

. Its cast features

Nancho Novo Venancio Manuel Jesús Novo Cid-Fuentes (born 17 September 1958), known as Nancho Novo, is a Spanish actor. He studied medicine at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, but stopped halfway to move to Madrid, where he studied acting at the '' ...

Elvira Mínguez Elvira Mínguez (born 23 July 1965) is a Spanish actress. Mínguez has appeared in such films as '' La cacatúa verde'' (1990), '' El carro de heno'' (1991), ''The Lucky Star'', ''Tapas'' (2005) and '' El desconocido'' (2015). Her television cre ...

, Natalia Rodríguez Arroyo,

Celso Bugallo Celso Bugallo Aguiar (born 12 March 1947) is a Spanish actor. He appeared in more than forty films since 1999. Selected filmography References External links * 1947 births Living people Spanish male film actors 20th-century Sp ...

, Carolina Román, and Marcos Ruiz, among others.

Plot

Set in

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...

and dealing with the theme of family isolation, the plot tracks the plight and secrets of a number of characters, including lonely boy Sergio (inclined to talk to the dead), dying father Alfredo (diagnosed with

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...

), anonimously

sexted Sexting is sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or videos, primarily between mobile phones. It may also include the use of a computer or any digital device. The term was first popularized early in the 21st ...

adoptive mother Julia, self-hating lesbian sister Marisa, and the widowed grandfather.

Cast

Production

Penned by

, the screenplay is an adaptation of the novel ''Pudor'' by

. The film was produced by Tesela PC (), with the participation of TVE and

Canal+ Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

. Shooting locations included Gijón.

Release

The film was presented at the 10th

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, ...

in March 2007. Distributed by Sogepaq, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 13 April 2007.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' deemed the film to be "gritty, sometimes grueling and with a tendency to over-schematize", but "absorbing" nonetheless owing to "superb across-the-board perfs and a script that slowly winds its emotional spring to a cathartic final scene". Fausto Fernández of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

'' rated ''Modesty'' 3 out of 5 stars, singling out the portrayal of the "viscerality and fragility of the characters" as the film's standout, while citing the "insistence" on the homosexual subplot as a negative point.

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "2" , 2007 , , 10th

, , Best Actress , , Elvira Mínguez , , , , , - , 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival , ,

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

, , Elvira Mínguez , , , , align = "center" , , - , rowspan = "2" align = "center" , 2008 , , rowspan = "2" , 22nd Goya Awards , ,

Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V (1989 film), Henry V'' **Runners-up: St ...

, , David Ulloa, Tristán Ulloa , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Adapted Screenplay , , Tristán Ulloa , ,

Informational notes

References

{{reflist Films set in Asturias Spanish drama films 2007 drama films 2007 films 2000s Spanish-language films 2000s Spanish films Films based on Peruvian novels Films shot in Asturias Spanish LGBT-related films 2007 LGBT-related films