"Maixabel" is a Spanish Spanish- and Basque-language film from 2021, so still relatively new, but not totally new. This one also made it to German movie theaters now and I got a bit curious for sure to watch this film that runs for slightly under two hours. The director is Icíar Bollaín, perhaps Spain's most successful female filmmaker these days and here she collaborated with Isa Campo on the screenplay. A fruitful effort, especially taking into account that these two are not longtime collaborators from what I have seen. Anyway, Bollaín has had a relatively long acting career in younger years, even if her intention to shoot films herself has always been visible. But now she has not acted in a long time and you could say that she is having a bit of a career that can be compared to Maria Schrader here in Germany, even if the latter is still acting here and there or at least has not had a break as long as Bollaín's. The age is also relatively similar. But now let us look at this film. It scored a pretty big deal of awards recognition, but this happened almost exclusively in Spain, maybe also because of the subject. The filmmaker(s) got recognized, but also the cast, pretty much everybody from the cast, even if most will certainly agree that Blanca Portillo is the key component of the film. I am not sure though if she was so dominant that the film deserves to be named after her character. You can see from the poster here that there are two key players. The one on the left stands for repentance, the one on the right symbolizes forgiveness. In the first half of the film, Tosar had a huge amount of screen time too, more than in the second half for sure and also more than Portillo, who shone in the second half and that is why more people will remember her turn. Thus the title. I am still glad that Tosar also got some recognition at least, even if not as much. The supporting cast also has a chance to deliver. Urko Olazabal pretty much dominated the Spanish awards season in the supporting category that year. Huge success. He was not a rookie, but far more experienced than María Cerezuela, who was a newcomer really when picked to play the title character's daughter. For that, it was also an impressive performance. This film was not Spain's selection for the Oscars by the way. That went to the newest Javier Bardem film.

As for the plot etc., it's already been a few days, but I will just go for some brainstorming about everything I remember from the movie. Not a great deal of chronology most likely here. I don't really wanna say which performance I liked more from the two. The characters were so different, so it is difficult to compare, but they both shine with the material they were given. Also pay attention to how they almost never share the screen with their backgrounds, even if they are so closely connected through their past. The big difference is of course the ending and this is also I think what you see on the poster. This was really the ultimate moment of forgiveness there when she brings him with her to the memorial ceremony, a move that not everybody there is particularly happy about. But he grieves for the deceased as well and also what it turned him into. This was maybe even more powerful to me than their first meeting really. This was of course also quite good with how he expresses his regret, but I felt that the meeting before that between Maixabel and Olazabal's character was perhaps even better. Maybe this was the reason why Olazabal got all this recognition. How he displays a man really struggling hard and also somewhat losing his speech over the years because he did not really have a chance to talk that much when in jail. It made something with him. Then there's also other characters like the third fella, the one who actually pulled the trigger. Maybe this was also an intentional move that none of the two men we follow pulled the trigger, so we feel at least a bit sorry for them, but then again we also know at the same time that it was just a random choice who pulled the trigger. Could have been them as well. There was also this reference that the winner got to pull the trigger. So it was a bit of an honor to commit this terrorist act back then. We see the courtroom trial very briefly when the bad guys, let's call them that, were not yet changed. It came over time, but it was not a given. That third man I talked about did not change and stayed with the organisation. Apart from him, it is also interesting to watch the other guy the male protagonist meets on some occasion and how he reacts in the presence of his child. The circle closes in the end when Maixabel treats him better actually than his past ally.

As for the victims of these crimes, or one crime specifically, the daughter must also be mentioned and how she sees all that. She is not ready to meet her father's killers at all. Not ready to forgive them either and also not too happy when she sees one of them at the end next to her mother. The scene at the club is easy to remember when she tells her friends in a derogatory way that her mother is talking to her dad's killer, not only in a derogatory way about the man, but also a bit about her mother. She definitely carries a lot of rage and anger inside her still. Even so many years later. Can you blame her? Most likely not. But it was also this that put even more emphasis on Maixebel and how she is kind-hearted enough to forgive. There are other pretty interesting moments inolving her, like the phone conversation she has with her daughter when the latter begs her to get bodyguards, the scene in which she (after the meeting) starts crying inside the car and also the idea when towards the end of course she shows up there with the former terrorist. At that point, of course, he was by no means a threat anymore, but actually she even helped him this way. The bodyguards are gone and the one they were supposed to protect her from is right next to her. Very telling. Again, the circle closes. Something else you can elaborate on in here of course is ETA itself. Maybe people born after 2000 are not too familiar with this organisation, but they were a big factor at that point, especially in the Basque country and they were of course fighting for this region's indepence from Spain. They did not acknowledge the existence of Spanish courts. You can see how loud and boastful they were on a few occasions in here. In flashback scenes as well briefly, but most of all early on. So this is also a good history film and worth seeing from that perspective, maybe even the biggest reason to watch it. There is also closure when we see them announce towards the end that they step away from violence in the (then) future, which is probably the reason why they are a non-factor today. And with their past, they would never be taken seriously as a peaceful organisation that could make a difference of course. They still had a touch of KKK to them with the covered faces when their leaders announced their decision.

Finally, a few more words on Tosar's character. He has changed his mind of course also about his past actions, but his character changes throughout the film while Olazabal's is convinced from the very beginning that he will talk to the relatives of his victims. And not hiding it from the other inmates. Tosar's character is not so sure early on when we see him and he is also more of a brute. There is also one pretty nice moment between these two guys. Very brief moment, but you see they were coonnected in their decision there and somewhat belonged together, even if their dark past and how they shared it will always be a huge obstacle to overcome. I mean they do not have to become friends or so. I also liked Tosar's character's deep and rough voice. It fit very nicely. His mother is also included, so there family comes into play from a totally different point of view. This film is all about family, about loss too, not just for Maixabel, but also for example the male protagonist's grandfather if I remember correctly. Look at how Tosar's character reacts when he comes to a certain room at his mother's home with what he finds there. Or how he talks about how he cannot sleep. So this is where it also became obvious that clearing his mind and apologizing to those who lost a dear one because of him was supposed to lift at least a little bit of guilt from him, so he can find a little bit of peace again. Speaking of loss, I think it would be your loss if you decide to skip the watch here. I think for Spanish people it is close to a must-see. For Basque people, it is a must-see really and for everybody else, especially with an interest in recent European political history, it is a fairly good watch with some tense and memorable moments. Makes me curious if Bollaín will maybe also get a chance soon to direct a high-profile Hollywood film. I mean she is not a spring chicken or so, but with the way how America really supports female filmmakers, also from other countries, these days, it could very well happen. We will see. To sum it all up, let me say that this film gets a thumbs-up of course and that was absolutely never in doubt. It is also closer to being a great film than a weak film for, but now let's stick with callling it a good film. Positively recommended and it is without a doubt a really convincing character study.

After an assassination kills a former governor, his wife and daughter go through years of agony and feeling of loss. Years later, the widow, on whom there is threat now, engages in talks with couple of men in prison who had shot her husband.

Both of them repentant and reconcile with her and her family.

A powerful story that gets more touching towards the end.

While continuing to sing the tunes from My Heart Goes Boom! (2020-also reviewed),I took a look at the other titles in the line-up of VIVA: The 28th Manchester Spanish & Latin American Cinema Film Festival that were to feature a Q&A,and discovered that the next two were titles looking at the Basque Country during the terrorist attacks of ETA, this led to me meeting Maixabel.

View on the film:

Going deep into the making of the film during a 50 minute Q&A after the screening, co-writer (with Isa Campo) / director Iciar Bollain revealed that before she joined the project, the producers were originally planning this to be a documentary.

Closely working with Julieta (2016-also reviewed) composer Alberto Iglesias, Bollain retains the close-up, unvarnished grain of documentary, smartly using Iglesias's delicate, sparse score in fleeting moments, (with Iglesias not being comfortable about going into the mind of Etxezarreta in order to compose a theme for him) which emphasizes Maixabel's pain from the murder of her husband.

Holding back from any note of dramatic music over emotion scenes, Bollain composes a superb, layered Ambient sound design, where the closing of cell doors and indistinct chattering from guards on the other side of the door is the only thing which break the silences between Etxezarreta and Maixabel, who when she leaves the jail behind, is surrounded by the sound of nature, playing in the background to the memories of her husband.

Played note perfect to match the sounds in Maixabel's life, director Bollain & cinematographer Javier Agirre unlock an incredibly raw atmosphere, pinned on long-takes mid-shots and lingering close-ups of Maixabel (played by an tremendous, expressive Blanca Portillo, who was kept apart from meeting her co-star by the director,until they filmed their scenes) and Etxezarreta (played by Sleep Tight (2011-also reviewed) lead actor Luis Tosar, who delicately balances Etxezarreta's horrifying bursts of violence, with a growing resourcefulness from accepting the impact his acts of terrorism has had on people) laying bare their emotions across the table.

Highlighting the differences between Etxezarreta and Maixabel in their surroundings, Bollain reflects on Maixabel's mourning with warm, earthy blues and reds, which are contrasted by the cold, hard brick and concrete textures that Etxezarreta is confined to.

Extensively talking to the real Maixabel, the screenplay by Bollain and Campo present a thoughtful character study, with the writers displaying a real precision in capturing the years of mourning Maixabel and others have experienced from the aftermath of the ETA terrorists attacks.

Not shying away from showing voices of disagreement raised over Maixabel speaking to one of the terrorists jailed for killing her husband, the writers unveil the deep roots of hatred that run in Etxezarreta's ideology, who the writers gradually show develop a true sense of remorse, over the long meetings of reconciliation by the brave Maixabel.