The Teacher who Promised the Sea at the Spanish Film Festival

Photo Credit: The Teacher who Promised the Sea

The Spanish Film Festival in Perth is just around the corner and my friend and I were lucky enough to preview The Teacher Who Promised the Sea at Palace (El maestro que prometió el mar ) Cinemas Raine Square – the centrepiece of the Festival.

The unique and quaint film title bubbled up in my head in the lead up to watching the movie – curiosity aroused in me as to what story might unfold in the movie.

Young and determined Ariadna (Laia Costa) sets out on a mission to discover the hidden past of her ailing grandfather’s father – something that has not been talked about in her family. She arrives at the exhumation of a mass burial plot close to where her great grandfather resided back in the day, but as it turns out this is only the start of her investigations.

Alongside this plot line, we also follow the story of Antoni Benaiges (Enric Auquer) a teacher from Catalonia who in 1935 is assigned to teach children in Burgos (in a small village called Bañuelos de Bureba). While the kids thrive under his tutelage, his innovative teaching methods are viewed with disdain from the local community.

Film goers who enjoy a good historical drama film will enjoy The Teacher Who Promised the Sea.

It is an uplifting film whilst at the same time exuding a sad and poignant reminder of the tragic loss of many civilians during the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939).

The film effortlessly toggles between the present day events of Ariadna searching for her great grandfather’s grave and history, to the past period when Antoni taught his students at Burgos.

The cinematography is crisp and comes to life with beautifully shot landscapes of historical village life and modern day times, with engaging dialogue between the characters.

Director Patricia Font has crafted a beautiful movie based on Albert Val's screenplay, which in turn is based on the book by Francesc Escribano.

The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is showing as part of the Spanish Film Festival at Palace Cinemas.

If you plan on watching this captivating story, make sure to bring the tissues.

The 2024 HSBC Spanish Film Festival runs from the 13 June – 7 July and this year’s program packs a punch with a gastronomic selection of films spanning across a variety of genre.

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