Saldana channels power into the role, conveying Rita's internalised rage and intelligence through both conversations and show-stopping musical numbers. She puts the audience right into Rita's shoes, pondering possibilities as circumstances and feelings shift over the years. Gomez gives Jessi a fiery internal energy with big emotional undercurrents, and Paz shines as a woman who connects with Emilia later on. But this is Gascon's show, and she is hugely magnetic as both Manitas and Emilia, radiating charisma along with profoundly moving thoughts and feelings.

As the plot begins to veer into fable territory, things begin to get rather pointed, but this is a bracing cry for justice in a nation that has been in the grip of dishonest businessmen and politicians for far too long. The female-led approach elevates this central theme into something urgent and powerfully involving, especially as the story explores the experiences of women who have lost husbands and children in this violent invisible war. As usual, Audiard's bold filmmaking is thrillingly provocative and jarring, forcing us to see a tough situation in all-new ways.

themes, language, violence

11.Jul.24

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