CALLE MALAGA

Maria, a 79-year-old woman, has lived in a Spanish community in Tangier, Morocco, for her entire life, and her sunny, lovely apartment reflects her contentment. But when circumstances threaten to evict her from her space and end her independence, she must make some big decisions. And in this lovely, moving drama from director Maryam Touzani (The Blue Caftan), Maria chooses to live her life more fully than ever before. Calle Malaga boasts an excellent script, beautiful setting, and fine supporting performances but what really drives this film is a monumental performance from the great Carmen Maura, the Spanish star of many early Almodóvar films. Touzani loads the film onto Maura’s shoulders and she delivers, anchoring every scene and delivering a number of powerful emotional payoffs, not to mention a fabulously sexy love scene. She’ll definitely be in the conversation come awards season, and it’s reason for celebration that an actress this fantastic has, at this late stage in her career, found a vehicle worthy of her talents. ~SM