Isabel Coixet, Spain 2023

Adapted from Sara Mesa's novel, UN AMOR intricately navigates Nat’s (Laia Costa) isolating journey in the remote Spanish village of La Escapa. Costa's portrayal of Nat as a withdrawn translator burdened by refugee tales is initially intriguing yet mostly challenging to connect with. Nat continuously struggles against a hostile and rural patriarchy, ending up in dubious arrangement with her neighbor Andreas (Hovik Keuchkerian), dubbed “the German;” which ignites a sexually consuming yet non-romantic entanglement. Discomforting and disturbing, UN AMOR holds a mirror to society’s oppressive nature, where a woman’s body is her only currency, whether she accepts it or not. (EH)