Dos Madres: Between melodrama and film noir, this feature film inspired by a true scandal that shaped Spanish history is a must-see in the cinema.

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20 years ago, Vera separated from her son immediately after his birth. Since then, he has searched tirelessly for it, but his file mysteriously disappeared from the Spanish archives. 20 years ago, Cora adopted a son, Egozi. Today fate unites the three. Together, they make up for lost time and seek revenge on those who stole from them.

“Horrible Crime Story”

“It’s going to be a terror story. It’s going to be a detective story, it’s going to be a dark series story and it’s going to be scary. But it’s not going to be like that because I’m going to be the one telling the story.” With this quote from Chilean novelist and poet Roberto Bolaño in the introduction to his first feature film, Spanish director Victor Irriarte prepares us for all the nuances and subtleties of his cinematic project.

In Dos Madres, presented in Venice 2023 in the Giornate degli Autori section and which you will find in theaters today, he tells the story of two women, two mothers: one ready to do anything to find her child, the other ready to do everything not to lose hers. Their meeting, but above all the solidarity and mutual respect that follows, will change the course of their existence.

If this somewhat summary summary suggests classic melodrama, it’s not. Through his disturbingly unique style, at the crossroads of genres, Victor Iriarte depicts a story of revenge, violence, cruelty, separation, but also perseverance, encounters, friendship and much more.

Because through Vera, Cora and Egos, the director returns to a very real tragic case: between the 1940s and the 1980s, thousands of children, some 300,000 children, according to associations, were stolen in Spain for ideological reasons. A scandal in Spain’s modern history that gives another dimension to this film of great humanity!

Lola and Anna are Vera and Cora

To carry this feature film and give content to these characters with all the nuances, Victor Irriarte was happy to adapt two great Spanish actors. Lola Duenas, who fans of Pedro Almodovar’s films will no doubt recognize from her roles in The Wolverine, Broken Embrace and Lovers In Passing, plays Vera, a mother trapped in the system and on a quest for revenge.

Opposite him, Anna Torrent, as Cora’s adoptive mother, demonstrates the full extent of her talent, which audiences were able to discover on the big screen from a very young age, at just 7 years old, from Victor Eris’ nest. . “At first I was scared, I was afraid of this icon, this face, these eyes, which embody the whole history of Spanish cinema.” confides the director during an exchange with filmmaker Isaac Lacuesta.

Their son is played by Manuel Egozque, whom Victor Iriarte knew through the theater and made his feature film debut here.

You can see Dos Madres in theaters today.