Matria

Matria is a 2023 Spanish social drama film directed by Álvaro Gago which stars María Vázquez. It is shot in Galician.

Plot

Set in a Galician fishing village, the plot follows the plight of Ramona, a financially-insecure working woman struggling to stay afloat.

Production

The story is freely based on the life of Francisca Iglesias, a woman who took care of Gago's grandfather, and who starred in Gago's short film of the same name. María Vázquez took over the protagonist role for the feature film, playing a younger version of the character. Iglesias plays a minor role in the film. The film was produced by Pontevedra's Matriuska Producciones, Madrid's Avalon PC, Valencia's Elastica Films, and Barcelona's Ringo Media. Fully shot in Galician, María Vázquez faced the challenge of adapting her Galician to the variety from the Rías Baixas.

Release

The film made its world premiere on 17 February 2023 at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, screened in the festival's Panorama lineup. Prior to its domestic theatrical release, it was presented at the 26th Málaga Film Festival on 11 March 2023. It was released theatrically in Spain on 24 March 2023 by Avalon.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily, warning that "anyone looking for a plucky, against-the odds storyline told through the eyes of a victim of injustice has come to the wrong place", highlighted one of the film's key virtues being that "is fallible and self-destructive".
Marta Bałaga of Cineuropa deemed the film to be "a welcome take on social cinema", otherwise featuring a protagonist that "feels real and fun to follow, even though one can run out of breath".
Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, considering that Vázquez nails each the nuances of her character.