El Sur (film)

El Sur ("The South") is a 1983 drama film directed by Spanish filmmaker Victor Erice, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was produced by Elias Querejeta, and starred Icíar Bollaín as the adult main character. It is based on Adelaida García Morales' short novel of the same name.

As in the novella, the screenplay takes place solely in the north of Spain, however the novella picks up where the screenplay leaves off, taking Estrella on a journey to the south of Spain. Producer Elías Querejeta decided not to allow the filming of the latter 90 minutes which would have been filmed in the south. Querejeta attributed this to lack of funds, although neither Erice nor the film's cinematographer, José Luis Alcaine, believed that was the reason. Erice felt the film was incomplete and described it as an "unfinished drama" even though it was well received by critics.

Plot
This film tells the story of a young girl named Estrella (Sonsoles Aranguren), living in the north of Spain with her father, Agustín (Omero Antonutti), and her mother, Julia (Lola Cardona). Her father is a scientist who seemingly has the ability to divine water using a pendulum, but Estrella finds him mysterious. As she's growing up her father shares with her the art of divination, but does not talk about his own childhood. Her grandmother comes to visit, and she learns that during the Spanish Civil War her father and grandfather had a falling out. Her grandfather supported Franco, but her father was a Republican. After the civil war her father vowed he would never return to the south again. Later she sees her father visit a movie theater, then eventually discovers that the films he patronizes all star an actress by the name of Irene Rios (Aurore Clément). She later finds out that Rios was her father's sweetheart in the south, and that he is still in love with her.

Cast

 * Omero Antonutti - Agustín Arenas
 * Sonsoles Aranguren - Estrella, 8 years
 * Icíar Bollaín - Estrella, 15 years
 * Aurore Clément - Irene Ríos / Laura
 * Lola Cardona - Julia, Agustín's wife
 * Rafaela Aparicio - Milagros
 * Francisco Merino - Irene Ríos's Co-Star
 * María Caro - Casilda
 * José Vivó - Grand Hotel barman
 * Germaine Montero - Doña Rosario
 * José Luis Fernández, El Pirri - El Carioco

Reception
The film was entered into the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Gold Hugo at the 1983 Chicago International Film Festival.

El Sur was voted the eighth-best Spanish film by professionals and critics in a 1996 Spanish cinema centenary.