Dearest Maria

Dearest Maria is a 2004 Spanish drama film directed by José Luis García Sánchez from a screenplay by Rafael Azcona based on the figure of María Zambrano. It stars María Botto and Pilar Bardem.

Plot

The plot takes place between 1989 and 1991. Journalist Lola meets author María Zambrano in 1989, upon Zambrano's reception of the Cervantes Prize, leading Lola to make Zambrano's biopic.

Production

The film is a Maestranza Films and Redacción 7 Andalucía production.

Release

The film premiered in competition at the 49th Valladolid International Film Festival on 24 October 2004. Distributed by Alta Films, it was released theatrically in Spain on 29 October 2004.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of Variety wrote that García Sánchez "fails for the most part to galvanize the potential high drama".
Casimiro Torreiro of El País wrote that the film "will go down in the annals as a worthy effort to didactically marry cinema for the general public with the usual rigor of documentary editing".