Los Domingos (2025)

Seventeen-year-old Ainara [Blanca Soroa] has found her calling: she wants to enter the convent. Due to her age, she needs permission from her father [Miguel Garcés] and seeks approval from her aunt [Patricia López Amaiz], who has been a key figure in Ainara's life since her mother's death. The opposing positions are quickly taken, and no one is willing to back down. The only development lies with Ainara, whose faith in her calling is severely put to the test. So, there is little story or plot, but Soroa's authentic, complex acting and the attention to the rituals of the Spanish Catholic Church keep it reasonably interesting.

Translated from Dutch · View original

The film is about a girl who believes she has been called to the convent but is awaiting the decisive voice of God and is thus experiencing a probationary period as a nun. Meanwhile, her aunt opposes this, as there are reasons to believe the girl is merely seeking solace that she could also find in the arms of a boy or with her own father instead of the Father; and such a religious community, which emphasizes that one must efface oneself for God and not allow oneself to be tempted by the devil, bears a striking resemblance to a brainwashing cult, leading one to seriously doubt the free will of such a girl. The film deliberately keeps things ambiguous but does so by failing to delve into any depth, neither religiously nor psychologically, so that by the end of the film you know just as little about her motives as you did at the beginning. In fact, you are merely introduced to the wavering girl's family, and insofar as the film intended to externalize the internal or internal conflict within the girl by projecting it onto the various people around her, this is poorly executed. It makes the film a major disappointment.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Two 100-minute films are hidden within this movie. The one, about the young Ainara who has experienced the love of the Lord Christ and wants to enter the convent, is by far the best. The other, about family troubles, is much weaker. It is also less well-developed, with perhaps 40 minutes of running time, part of which overlaps with the other film. However, this does make the film somewhat unbalanced at times and causes it to drag on a bit. A real shame. As long as the family is talking about Ainara and her choice, this is a fascinating portrait, but all sorts of old resentment (which you pick up on partly but not fully) fails to truly captivate and brings the score down significantly. A real pity. Because otherwise, it is beautiful at times. Certainly the lovely choral music, although the film starts off quite nicely with Latin American electropop. And above all, the portrait of Ainara. Well and subtly acted, but enough information is consistently provided to still understand why she wants to enter the convent, for example at one of those parties with peers where you quickly notice that she doesn't feel at home there (anymore). 3.5*.

Translated from Dutch · View original