''The Daughter'' ( es, La hija, links=no) is a 2021 Spanish thriller drama film directed by

Manuel Martín Cuenca Manuel Martín Cuenca (born 30 November 1964) is a Spanish film director. He directed more than ten films since 1990. Selected filmography * ''The Weakness of the Bolshevik'' (2003) * '' Hard Times'' (2005) * ''Cannibal Cannibalism is t ...

, which stars Javier Gutiérrez,

Patricia López Arnaiz Patricia López Arnaiz (born 15 April 1981) is a Spanish actress, best known for her roles in 2020 drama film '' Ane Is Missing'' and television series '' A Different View''. Filmography Film Television References External links * S ...

and Irene Virgüez.

Plot

Irene is a teenage girl living in a

youth detention center In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile det ...

who has just got pregnant. She is offered to live with Javier and Adela (a couple desperate to have a child) in a remote house in the mountains in exchange for the baby.

Cast

* Javier Gutiérrez as Javier *

as Adela * Irene Virgüez as Irene

Production

''The Daughter'' was written by

and Alejandro Hernández based on a "horror-oriented" original story by Félix Vidal. The film was produced by MOD Producciones, La Loma Blanca PC, and La Hija Producciones La Película AIE, with the participation of

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service know ...

, Canal Sur Radio y Televisión and

Movistar+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by Telefónica, which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL and as well as with satellites such as ...

, funding from the ICAA and Arcano Financiación Audiovisual, support from and the sponsoring of the . The score was composed and performed by

Vetusta Morla Vetusta Morla is a Spanish indie-rock band originally from the city of Tres Cantos located near Madrid, Spain. The band was formed in 1998 and took its name from the giant old tortoise Morla, a character in the children's book ''The Neverending S ...

. Fully shot in the province of Jaén, filming locations included the provincial capital ( Jaén) as well as the

Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park ( es, Parque Natural de las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas) is a natural park in the eastern and northeastern part of the province of Jaén, Spain, established in 1986. With an are ...

. The fictional couple's house in the mountains was located in the so-called Llanos del Peral.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 13 September 2021. It also screened at the

69th San Sebastián International Film Festival The 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival took place from 17 to 25 September 2021 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. The festival opened with Zhang Yimou's '' One Second''. Marion Cotillard and Johnny Depp were awarded the Donostia ...

later in the month. Distributed by Caramel Films, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 26 November 2021.

Reception

According to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''The Daughter'' has a 100% approval rating based on 8 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 7.70/10. Janire Zurbano of ''

Cinemanía ''Cinemanía'' is a Spanish language monthly film magazine based in Madrid, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)( ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering that while lacking the rhythm and plot-turns of other Martín Cuenca's films such as ''

Cannibal Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...

'' and '' The Motive'', the almost theatrical mise-en-scène and the visual power of the landscapes put tension and pressure on the viewers; cornering them to identify with the protagonists. Beatriz Martínez 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 ...

'' gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, considering the film a masterpiece of contemporary Spanish cinema, a film "as shocking as it is memorable, as a macabre fable". Raquel Hernández Luján of ''

HobbyConsolas ''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1990. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ha ...

'' gave the film 60 out of 100 points, considering that—despite praising the exquisite cinematography, the composition of the shots, the score and the performances of the adults—it was a "slow, predictable and boring" film and that the child actress' performance was subpar. Quim Casas of ''

El Periódico de Catalunya ''El Periódico de Catalunya'' (, ), also simply known as ''El Periódico'', is a morning daily newspaper based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The paper publishes separate daily editions in Spanish and in Catalan. The two editions combined sell ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering that the "elegant and austere" filmmaking plays well on its setting and the reduced number of characters. Jonathan Holland of ''

ScreenDaily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' wrote that the film "is gripping, and the script generally keeps one step ahead".

Awards and nominations

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "3" , 2021 , , rowspan = "3" , 34th ASECAN Awards , , colspan = "2" , Best Film , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best Director , , Manuel Martín Cuenca , , , - , Best Screenplay , , Manuel Martín Cuenca, Alejandro Hernández , , , - , align = "center" rowspan = "12" , 2022 , ,

9th Feroz Awards The 9th ceremony of the Premios Feroz, known as the Feroz Awards 2022, presented by the Asociación de Informadores Cinematográficos de España, took place at the Auditorio de Zaragoza in Zaragoza, Spain, on 29 January 2022, to recognize the bes ...

, , Best Original Score , , Vetusta Morla , , , , , - , rowspan = "6" ,

1st Carmen Awards The 1st Carmen Awards, presented by the Andalusian Film Academy, were held on 30 January 2022 at the in Málaga. The gala, broadcast on Canal Sur, was hosted by Adelfa Calvo and Pedro Casablanc. History The Andalusian Film Academy disclosed the ...

, , Best Fiction Feature Film , , La Loma Blanca PC , , , , rowspan = "6" , , - , Best Direction , , Manuel Martín Cuenca , , , - , Best Screenplay , , Alejandro Hernández, Manuel Martín Cuenca , , , - , Best Production Supervision , , Ernesto Chao , , , - , Best Makeup and Hairstyles , , Yolanda Piña , , , - , Best Supporting Actor , , Juan Carlos Villanueva , , , - , rowspan = "2" , 77th CEC Medals , , Best Director , , Manuel Martín Cuenca , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Actor , , Javier Gutiérrez , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

36th Goya Awards The 36th Goya Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AACCE), honoured the best in Spanish films of 2021 and took place at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia on 12 February 2022. The ceremony ...

, ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

, , Manuel Martín Cuenca , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - ,

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

, , Javier Gutiérrez , , , - , 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards , , Best Film Actor in a Leading Role , , Javier Gutiérrez , , , ,

References

External links

*
''The Daughter''
at ICAA's ''Catálogo de Cinespañol'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Daughter (2021 film), The 2021 films 2020s Spanish-language films Films shot in the province of Jaén (Spain) Spanish pregnancy films Films about surrogacy Teenage pregnancy in film 2020s pregnancy films Spanish thriller films 2021 thriller films 2021 drama films MOD Producciones films 2020s Spanish films