Authentic and moving portrayal of a deeply buried transgenerational wound
Set in 1935, when Spain was on the brink of civil war, Benaiges is posted to a small agricultural town in Burgos to teach a small group of children formerly educated by local priest Father Primitivo (Milo Taboada). Benaiges’s progressive teaching methods, which include a printing press, together with his belief in non-secular education, make him a personal enemy of Primitivo from the outset.
Internationally renowned Laia Costa plays a fictional character Ariadna who represents the descendants of the ‘Missing’ in Spain. Her persona is based on the reality of so many families who are still searching for their relatives buried in mass graves. To date the remains of 12,000 bodies have been exhumed. In this film she grapples with an inherited anxiety she cannot fully comprehend as she undertakes the search for her grandfather’s father, racing against the clock of mortality with a type of ferocity.
At the core of this film is a vivid portrayal of how trauma can have continuing and serious effects on subsequent generations. The film’s narrative structure, alternating between past and present, effectively illustrates how unresolved wounds can shape future generations, as Ariadna’s grandfather embodies the silent pain of a man whose experiences are too deeply buried to articulate.
Scenes were filmed in the Bureba landscape, where the story is set, with the mass grave of La Pedraja (Burgos) replicated exactly as it is in reality. Key buildings in the town, such as Antoni’s house, the school, and the kiosk where a picture of Antoni with his students is taken are featured in the film.
Replicas of the notebooks that Antoni made with his students and sent to his subscribers around the world are included. The real photo of Antoni and his students shown at the end of the film is also a significant detail that should not be overlooked, as the photographic sequence of this image was inspired by an anecdote from one of Antoni’s students. Finally, enhancing the film’s authenticity is the costume design by María Armengol, who won Best Costume Design at both the 2024 Goya and Gaudí Awards.
Multi-award winning Two Many Chefs Enric Auquer is one of my favourite Spanish actors and delivers his role as the idealistic and passionate Benaiges with expert skill. And it is not just me who has noticed, he has since been nominated as Best Actor at the 11th Feroz Awards, the 16th Gaudi Awards, and 38th Goya Awards for his performance.
The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a particularly important film for anyone who can relate to the enduring impact of historical trauma within their family history. It tenderly explains how unseen wounds can affect a person’s present life. Historically, it is of considerable significance as the time to acknowledge and obtain answers about the past is running out. The film recognises the silent struggles that families today endure and pays tribute to the republican teachers of that era.
For these reasons and many more, it is a film worth the watch. Audiences are spoiled by a superb choice of cast, who authentically deliver what is a heartfelt and compelling representation of recent history, earning the film the Audience Prize at the 2024 Gaudi Awards.
Based on the book “El maestro que prometió el mar” by Francesc Escribano, screenwriter Albert Val and director Patricia Font have bought the story to the screen in The Teacher Who Promised the Sea. Although primarily based on the real-life story of Catalonian teacher Antoni Benaiges (Enric Auquer), whose progressive teaching methods, along with his political and religious beliefs, make him a target of authorities, it is equally about the thousands of people who ‘disappeared’ during the war.
Set in 1935, when Spain was on the brink of civil war, Benaiges is posted to a small agricultural town in Burgos to teach a small group of children formerly educated by local priest Father Primitivo (Milo Taboada). Benaiges’s progressive teaching methods, which include a printing press, together with his belief in non-secular education, make him a personal enemy of Primitivo from the outset.
Internationally renowned Laia Costa plays a fictional character Ariadna who represents the descendants of the ‘Missing’ in Spain. Her persona is based on the reality of so many families who are still searching for their relatives buried in mass graves. To date the remains of 12,000 bodies have been exhumed. In this film she grapples with an inherited anxiety she cannot fully comprehend as she undertakes the search for her grandfather’s father, racing against the clock of mortality with a type of ferocity.
At the core of this film is a vivid portrayal of how trauma can have continuing and serious effects on subsequent generations. The film’s narrative structure, alternating between past and present, effectively illustrates how unresolved wounds can shape future generations, as Ariadna’s grandfather embodies the silent pain of a man whose experiences are too deeply buried to articulate.
Scenes were filmed in the Bureba landscape, where the story is set, with the mass grave of La Pedraja (Burgos) replicated exactly as it is in reality. Key buildings in the town, such as Antoni’s house, the school, and the kiosk where a picture of Antoni with his students is taken are featured in the film.
Replicas of the notebooks that Antoni made with his students and sent to his subscribers around the world are included. The real photo of Antoni and his students shown at the end of the film is also a significant detail that should not be overlooked, as the photographic sequence of this image was inspired by an anecdote from one of Antoni’s students. Finally, enhancing the film’s authenticity is the costume design by María Armengol, who won Best Costume Design at both the 2024 Goya and Gaudí Awards.
Multi-award winning Two Many Chefs Enric Auquer is one of my favourite Spanish actors and delivers his role as the idealistic and passionate Benaiges with expert skill. And it is not just me who has noticed, he has since been nominated as Best Actor at the 11th Feroz Awards, the 16th Gaudi Awards, and 38th Goya Awards for his performance.
The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a particularly important film for anyone who can relate to the enduring impact of historical trauma within their family history. It tenderly explains how unseen wounds can affect a person’s present life. Historically, it is of considerable significance as the time to acknowledge and obtain answers about the past is running out. The film recognises the silent struggles that families today endure and pays tribute to the republican teachers of that era.
For these reasons and many more, it is a film worth the watch. Audiences are spoiled by a superb choice of cast, who authentically deliver what is a heartfelt and compelling representation of recent history, earning the film the Audience Prize at the 2024 Gaudi Awards.
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