A large family gathers at the old homestead in Madrid to mark the anniversary of the death of the patriarch, and in the absence of Dad this story is primarily about women. Mum Teresa (Carmen Machi) lives with adult daughter Paloma (Victoria Luengo), and both care for nonagenarian Grandma Martina (Lola Cordón), whose dementia is initially a source of lightly sad humour until she can no longer stop reliving childhood traumas from the Spanish Civil War.
Sis Alicia (Beatriz Grimaldos) is an aspiring artist who’s having a steamy affair with Rodrigo (Nacho Fresneda), while Carmen (Bárbara Lennie) does her best to look after little daughter Zoe (Vega Bosque), and although Zoe’s father Fran (Jorge Mayor) is nice enough, he barely figures in the plot.
Fourth sister Noelia (Irene Escolar) is living in Argentina with Jorge (Jorge Quesada), where it’s beautifully warm, and she, too, isn’t around to see what happens to these women as the year draws to a close. Teresa keeps unintentionally upsetting priest Don Ramón (Antonio Resines); Alicia has her heart broken (of course); Carmen finds herself drawn to the last person she’d ever expected; and Paloma worries about Martina, who really should be in care. But no one can bear to let her go.
At heart, África’s tale is a little familiar and vaguely contrived, and yet the performances give it heart (and sometimes hormones too), with particularly fine work from Luengo as the melancholy Paloma, and scene-stealer Cordón as the sometimes distressingly confused Grandma. Scenes where she looks into mirrors and sees not herself, but her long-lost mother, are almost perfectly heartbreaking.
SUMMER IN DECEMBER (CTC)
(3 stars out of 5)
Summer In December is screening as part of the HSBC Spanish Film Festival 2025. Book at palacenova.com.au
