''La Estrella'' is a 2013 Spanish comedy-tinged drama film directed by Alberto Aranda (in his feature debut) based on the novel by . It stars

Ingrid Rubio Ingrid Rubio Ruiz (born 2 August 1975 in Barcelona, Spain) is a Spanish actress. She won the Special Mention Award at the 1996 San Sebastián International Film Festival for her performance in the film ''Taxi (1996 film), Taxi''. Career She h ...

as the title character alongside

Carmen Machi María del Carmen Machi Arroyo (born 7 January 1963) is a Spanish actress. She become popular for her role as Aída in the television series ''7 vidas'' and ''Aída''. Biography María del Carmen Machi Arroyo was born on 7 January 1963 in Madr ...

Marc Clotet Marc Clotet Fresquet (born 29 April 1980) is a Spanish actor and model. He is best known for his roles in the soap opera '' El Cor de la Ciutat'' and the teen drama ''Física o Química''. Career Born in Barcelona, he has also worked as a model, ...

, and

Fele Martínez Fele Martínez (born Rafael Martínez; 22 February 1975) is a Goya Award-winning Spanish actor. Early years Martínez was born in Alicante, Spain. A product of the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático in Madrid, he began to act and direct theater ...

Plot

Set in

Santa Coloma de Gramenet Santa Coloma de Gramenet () informally simply known as Santa Coloma (in Spanish: Santa Coloma de Gramanet, historically also known as ''Gramenet de Besòs'') is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the south-east side of the L ...

and featuring the backdrop of gender violence, the plot follows the vicissitudes of Estrella, a good-willed and joyful woman (with her boyfriend Salva and her best friend Trini around). She takes over the reins of her life in a search for happiness.

Cast

Production

Written by Alberto Aranda and Belén Carmona, the film is based on the novel of the same name by Belén Carmona. It is a A Contraluz Films production, and it had the participation of TVC and TVE, and support from and ICAA. It was primarily shot in

(specifically in Les Oliveres neighborhood).

Release

The film was presented in the 'Malaga Premiere' section of the 16th

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 April 2013. Distributed by Splendor Films, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 24 May 2013.

Reception

Mariló García 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)( ...

'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be "tedious in its execution and presumable in its development", concluding that "not even Ingrid Rubio's luminous smile manages to captivate us". Javier Ocaña of ''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' noted the discrete yields reaped by the film, in which authenticity only appears in dribs and drabs. Toni Vall of ''

Ara ARA may refer to: Media and the arts * American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences * '' Artistička Radna Akcija'', compilation album released in former Yugoslavia * Associate of the Royal Academy, denoting membership in the British Royal Aca ...

'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars, praising the "tireless struggle y Arandato project light and filmic truth" to a story that has however "been explained to us a thousand and one times before".

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "3" align = "center" , 2014 , , rowspan = "2" , 6th

Gaudí Awards The Gaudí Awards ( ca, Premis Gaudí) are the main film awards of Catalonia, celebrated annually in Barcelona. The awards were established in 2009 by the Catalan Film Academy as a continuation and expansion of the Barcelona Cinema Awards (''Premi ...

, , Best Actress , , Ingrid Rubio , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Carmen Machi , , , - ,

23rd Actors and Actresses Union Awards The 23rd Actors and Actresses Union Awards ceremony was held on 10 March 2014 at the Teatro Coliseum in Madrid. The gala was hosted by Llum Barrera and Secun de la Rosa Secundino de la Rosa Márquez (born 23 December 1969), artistically known a ...

, , Best Film Actress in a Leading Role , , Ingrid Rubio , , , , align = "center" ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Estrella (film), La Spanish comedy-drama films 2013 comedy-drama films 2010s Spanish films 2010s Spanish-language films Films shot in the province of Barcelona Films set in Catalonia Films based on Spanish novels 2013 directorial debut films