Dir: Maryam Touzani | Cast: Carmen Maura, Marta Etura, Ahmed Boulane, María Alfonsa Rosso, La Imèn, Ghali Errazqi, Sanae Regragui, Fouad Menebhi, Abdelilah Iramdane | Drama 116’
Nestled in the tight knit Spanish community of Tangier lies Calle Malaga, longtime home to 77-year-old Maria Angeles the star of this light-hearted audience pleaser and Morocco’s Oscar hopeful 2026.
For Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani the feature is a cinematic love letter to her mother, who was born there, and her Spanish roots in the Moroccan town. The smiling faces, the sights, smells and sensuality remind her of growing up and lure her back endlessly, inspiring this enjoyable drama that feels relatable and yet gently exotic.
Maria Angeles the main character (played by Spanish star Carmen Maura) is having a difficult time with her onscreen daughter who turns up out of the blue making difficult demands. Divorced and living in the breadline in Madrid with her two children she begs her mother to sell up and go back to to the Spanish capital which would mean leaving her much loved lifestyle in this cosy sunlit quartier. And what’s worse she has booked her mother into a local care home using the money from the flat sale to sure up her own finances
Calle Malaga carries its troubled story lightly, touching on all that’s comforting about ageing: the final freedom, the long acquired wisdom, the pleasure of being at home surrounded by treasured possessions, and above all the daily round of pleasantries and warm encounters when Maria Angeles does her shopping in the local market, anticipating a delicious lunch and dinner and the pleasure of cooking and savouring the flavours.
Instead Maria Angeles is deluged by her daughter’s intractable domestic problems: a recent divorce, a struggling family and lack of money, turning the spry and graceful woman’s world upside down. in a bid to please Maria Angeles agrees to stay in the care home for a short stay. But predictably, the loss of dignity and infantilisation she suffers in the home is relatable and will ring true for those affected. So after a few days Maria says firmly ‘thanks’ and ‘no’.
There are complicatios on the way cleverly handled in Tousani’s clever script co-written with her award-winning partner Nabil Ayouch. It doesn’t lose sight of reality and avoids sentimentality with its mischievous take on life. But what happens next is a triumph of age and experience over adversity in this glorious film that puts personal freedom and mature love in the frame once again. Maria gains considerable agency when she takes control of her life in this often poignant but delightfully hopeful comedy drama. @Meredith Taylor
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025 |