The summers of adolescence are moments of intense life, which often mark fates forever. Adolescence concentrates learning , revolutionizing habits and certainties. Weeks of unexpected transition, between the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. This is what fifteen-year-old Nora (Maria Morera) experiences when Libertad bursts into her life. The first is the daughter of a wealthy family that occupies a beautiful holiday home by the sea, on the Catalan Costa Brava. The second is the daughter of the Colombian maid, Rosana (Carol Hurtado). Nora's quiet life is turned upside down when, during her summer holidays, this naive 15-year old comes across Libertad (Nicolle García). Her mother takes care of the women of the villa led by Teresa (Nora Navas) and dominated by the elderly grandmother, Angela (Vicky Peña) who suffers Alzheimer illness . This new, intense friendship between the two utterly different girls will guide them towards adolescence. It is in the microcosm of this small feminine world, which functions very well without men, that Nora's perspective changes. In contact with the newcomer, awareness arises about her loved ones, about her social environment, about her privileges, about determinism. Rebellion is in the air...

This is a brilliant and touching story, although sometimes results to be slow-moving and tiring, but resulting to be developed with real intelligence and extreme sensibility. A simple and plain plot but there's a lot more to the movie in the basic script. With Libertad, the young filmmaker Clara Roquet makes her feature film debut with a progressively interesting development, like a soft charm. It turns out to be an enjoyable and really perceptible tale which heightened by the nice acting. Interpretations are pretty good , as the newcomers protagonists play agreeable girls who will have to face off traumatic truths. Performances from the young girls as sensitive and kindly teens are nice. Slowly but surely, this decent film, with a descriptive title meaning Libertad, unfolds the richness of its subject matter through its confident and unpretentious staging. The director delved into her on-screen portrayal of women from Latin America who came to Spain, leaving her relatives in the country to offer them better incomes by going to care for the richest in the Iberian Peninsula. The work thus describes a system of upper/lower classes and exploitation, where each and everyone tries to preserve their interests, but which the younger girls question. But the main issue is the beloved relationship between two teenagers whose friendship eventually to be broken due to class differences and other special circumstances.

It contains a colorful and evocative cinematography, in semi-documentary style at times, by cameran Gris Jordana. The motion picture was well directed by Clara Roquet. This author has left her mark as a scriptwriter for Carlos Marques-Marcet (10,000 km) and Jaime Rosales (Petra), and as a director of short films, especially with El adiós (2015), a test and her first collaboration with non-professional performers. Rating. 6/10. Acceptable and passable.

Dazzled by Erase una vez en Euskadi (2021-also reviewed) I decided to take a peak at details for the final Q&A to take place at VIVA: The 28th Manchester Spanish & Latin American Film Festival, and was intrigued to learn, the unlike the three earlier screenings, that a cast member,rather then the director, was going to be at the last Q&A of the festival, which led to me getting ready to meet Libertad.

View on the film:

Whilst lead actress Maria Morera detailed in the great Q&A after the screening that the cast did not have much rehearsal time before filming, but thanks to staying in the house where most of production took place, they were able to rehearse in the actual location when filming for the day had wrapped, the cast give fantastic performances, which capture a real sense of Nora and Libertad sharing an longtime friendship level of ease round each other.

Swimming into the deep end of Nora's household, Nicolle Garcia (in her debut performance) splashes Libertad with a liberating fish out of water excitement, that bounces off Nora's more withdrawn manner, creating a whirlwind that pulls Libertad and Nora into an enthusiastic new rush for adventure.

At first taken aback by how different Libertad is, Maria Morera captures Nora coming of age via coming out of her shell with a real precision, warming up from being timid and shy, to discovering a new lust for life thanks to her friendship with Libertad.

Using the house in the screenplay (co-written by Eduard Sola) to cross the personal spaces of Nora and Libertad's families, co-writer/ director Clara Roquet examines in a understated, subtle manner the class/social divide of Libertad's mum Rosana, a live-in carer and long-term housekeeper for Nora's wealthy, socially detached family.

Sitting with both families, director Roquet makes an outstanding feature film debut, thanks to Roquet & cinematographer Gris Jordana present a up-close, intimate atmosphere with long takes held on each family member in excellent Steadicam and extended panning shots of the families talking round the liberating household.