A glorious Carmen Maura stars as an older woman who refuses to be dictated to by her daughter when money becomes an issue. Set in the well-established Spanish community of Tangiers, Morocco, Calle Malaga is touching, funny and sad, and gives an older woman agency at the centre of her own story.
It’s a delight to have seen two films this LFF which both feature older women taking control of their lives and not fading into old age just because it suits others or is expected of them – the other being the previously reviewed The Blue Trail.
In Calle Malaga, from Moroccan writer/director Maryam Touzani, the superb Carmen Maura plays Maria Angeles, a widow in her late seventies in Tangiers, who is distraught to find that her daughter Clara (Marta Etura) has come to visit her from Madrid with the purpose of selling her apartment from under her, in order to provide a downpayment on a house in the Madrid suburbs following the breakdown of her marriage.
Maria Angeles is distraught but initially powerless, and succumbs to the indignity of being moved to a residential home as there seems to be no other option. But as she has time to ponder the situation, Maria is able to draw on her long-standing connections in her community – and her own resilience – to hatch a plan to continue living in her own apartment.
At the heart of Calle Malaga are two stories about decisions women take – one seen from the outside, but no less potent, is the impact of the situation on the daughter Clara; wrapped up in her own trauma, she is unable to see the consequences of her actions until it is too late. The second is that of Maria Angeles, well-loved in her community, who is able to muster the internal strength and friendly support to fight for what she wants (even if her daughter is the adversary) and even rekindle her sensuality and love life along the way.
It’s a beautiful, gentle story with some laughs, some tears, and a lot of resolve, with a host of supporting cast of a variety of ages willing to help Maria Angeles out – including a very dapper and engaging Ahmed Boulane as an unexpected love interest.
The film did not end as I (or my seat-neighbour) had anticipated – at least not overtly – and it did prompt a discussion between us as to what we think might have happened, with us each having different views.
We both agreed, however, that Maura steals the show, and her courage in portraying Maria Angeles is to be celebrated, even if the ending is more tearful that we had hoped.
Calle Malaga plays in the Love strand of London Film Festival 2025.
A glorious Carmen Maura stars as an older woman who refuses to be dictated to by her daughter when money becomes an issue. Set in the well-established Spanish community of Tangiers, Morocco, Calle Malaga is touching, funny and sad, and gives an older woman agency at the centre of her own story.
It’s a delight to have seen two films this LFF which both feature older women taking control of their lives and not fading into old age just because it suits others or is expected of them – the other being the previously reviewed The Blue Trail.
In Calle Malaga, from Moroccan writer/director Maryam Touzani, the superb Carmen Maura plays Maria Angeles, a widow in her late seventies in Tangiers, who is distraught to find that her daughter Clara (Marta Etura) has come to visit her from Madrid with the purpose of selling her apartment from under her, in order to provide a downpayment on a house in the Madrid suburbs following the breakdown of her marriage.
Maria Angeles is distraught but initially powerless, and succumbs to the indignity of being moved to a residential home as there seems to be no other option. But as she has time to ponder the situation, Maria is able to draw on her long-standing connections in her community – and her own resilience – to hatch a plan to continue living in her own apartment.
At the heart of Calle Malaga are two stories about decisions women take – one seen from the outside, but no less potent, is the impact of the situation on the daughter Clara; wrapped up in her own trauma, she is unable to see the consequences of her actions until it is too late. The second is that of Maria Angeles, well-loved in her community, who is able to muster the internal strength and friendly support to fight for what she wants (even if her daughter is the adversary) and even rekindle her sensuality and love life along the way.
It’s a beautiful, gentle story with some laughs, some tears, and a lot of resolve, with a host of supporting cast of a variety of ages willing to help Maria Angeles out – including a very dapper and engaging Ahmed Boulane as an unexpected love interest.
The film did not end as I (or my seat-neighbour) had anticipated – at least not overtly – and it did prompt a discussion between us as to what we think might have happened, with us each having different views.
We both agreed, however, that Maura steals the show, and her courage in portraying Maria Angeles is to be celebrated, even if the ending is more tearful that we had hoped.
Calle Malaga plays in the Love strand of London Film Festival 2025.
Share this:
Like this:
Discover more from The Movie Isle
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.