Romería

Family secrets can pose an irresistible temptation to those left out of the loop, yet those hidden matters often remain out of sight for a reason. However, when circumstances necessitate their revelation – especially for those on the outside looking in – those mysteries may be forced to emerge, regardless of how painful, awkward or shocking they may be. And those are the very conditions faced by an 18-year-old woman in the latest, and semi-autobiographical, feature from writer-director Carla Simón. Set in 2004, the film follows the odyssey of Marina (Llúcia Garcia), an adopted adolescent who makes a pilgrimage (hence the movie’s title) to the Atlantic Coast Spanish port of Vigo, where she was conceived by her now-long-deceased biological parents and the home of her blood relatives. Marina is about to enroll as a university film student and seeks to apply for a government grant to cover the funding. But, to complete the paperwork, she needs to provide proof of her parentage. Specifically, she needs to obtain a sworn attestation about the identity of her father (Mitch Martin), whose records at the time of his death indicated he had no children. That discrepancy, however, can be corrected with testimony from her grandfather (José Ángel Egido), whom she has never met. In fact, she has never met any of her relatives, which is another reason for the trip, an opportunity to help her discover her roots and, by extension she hopes, her own identity. She also hopes to learn more about her biological parents, since her late mother’s diary is the only tangible connection she has to them. Marina initially connects with her two genial uncles, Lois (Tristàn Ulloa) and Iago (Alberto Gracia), as well as a number of cousins, all of whom she universally makes positive connections with. However, over the course of her meetings with her estranged family, she slowly begins learning unflattering information about the character of her grandparents and disturbing revelations about her paren...