When it comes to the new generation of Spanish filmmakers, Pilar Palomero has quickly made a name for herself, becoming a regular of the San Sebastián International Film Festival starting with her first feature, Schoolgirls (2021). After her sophomore effort, La maternal (2022), she returned in the Official Selection with Glimmers which, like its predecessor, won the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance. This should help the movie – a small, delicate family drama – find its audience, particularly in contexts where Spanish-language cinema is placed in the spotlight.
The award-winning work belongs to Patricia López Arnaiz, who continues to show her versatility with the role of Isabel, a woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when her daughter Madalen suggests she pay more regular visits to her ex-husband Ramón. Their split was not a happy one, and there’s resentment even fifteen years later, but the man is sick, and keeping him company when he’s at his most vulnerable makes Isabel look back on their shared history with a fresh set of eyes and at the same time think more clearly about her current situation.
The lead performance is quietly intense, gaining in emotional power as the narrative progresses, and Antonio de la Torre lends understated support as Ramón, whose ailment acts as a counterpoint to the energy Isabel would like to expend elsewhere. As in other family dramas seen at San Sebastián in 2024 (such as Denmark’s My Eternal Summer or Switzerland’s Bagger Drama, the latter of which also won over the jury of its section), there’s a third person and actor thrown in the mix, and Marina Guerola – in her film debut – acquits herself well as Madalen, the young adult daughter who wants to nurse old wounds at least partially, while it’s still feasible.
Palomero, ably assisted by cinematographer Daniela Cajía (who also shot 2022’s Berlin winner Alcarràs) captures the inner turmoil of her characters in a carefully balanced mix of close-ups and wider shots depicting them against suggestive backdrops (the color yellow is particularly important when it comes to Isabel), the beauty of nature serving as the ideal contrast for what once was a happy relationship now situated in an odd sort of limbo. Even when the script ventures into predictable territory, as is perhaps bound to happen with a premise like the one chosen by the director, there are always morsels of truth in the staging and the performances that make the off-kilter familial bond an interesting one, which never outstays its welcome across the film’s 101 minutes.
Is there still hope, as the title (correctly translated from the original Los destellos) hints? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s the journey itself that matters, rather than the destination, and the glimmers that lend the film its dramatic structure – based on the story of the same name by Basque writer Eider Rodriguez – provide an intriguing insight into the anatomy of a human connection that didn’t quite achieve the hoped for results. And while the trappings may be familiar, they still find a way to connect with the viewer, primarily through the pained eyes of the female protagonist.
Director & Screenwriter: Pilar Palomero
Cast: Patricia López Arnaiz, Antonio de la Torre, Marina Guerola, Julián López
Producers: Aubert Sébastien, Leslie Jacob, Alain-Gilles Viellevoye, Fabrice Delville, Elisabeth Senger-Weiss
Cinematography: Daniela Cajía
Music: Vicente Ortiz Gimeno
Sound: Leo Dolgan, Fabiola Ordoyo, Nicolas De Poulpiquet
Production companies: Adastra Films, Beside Productions, Elly Films
World sales: Film Factory
Venue: San Sebastián International Film Festival (Official Selection – Competition)
In Spanish
101 minutes
