A Thief’s Daughter

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https://www.spanishfilmfestival.com/

20/04/2021 until 16/05/2021

A Thief’s Daughter gives us a glimpse into the lower socio-economic end of Spanish society and features a tour de force performance by Greta Fernandez as Sara, a mother struggling to keep her family and life together.

Living in public housing and coping with a new baby, Sara manages to string together enough part-time work to move out. She is determined to make a better life for herself and rescue her little brother from a foster home. Just as things start to improve, her ex-con father returns, threatening to destroy everything she has worked so hard for.

It would have been easy for this film to have sunk into mediocrity. The storyline is repetitive at times and the ending is abrupt, leaving the audience to form their own conclusions.

What elevates A Thief’s Daughter into a must watch film is the performances. Greta Fernandez’s Sara is gritty, determined and trapped in a life style she cannot escape no matter how much she tries.

Her father, played by Eduard Fernandez (Greta’s real-life father) is alternately desperate for his daughter’s love and socially inept in his treatment of her. There is a real chemistry between the two. Greta credits her ‘hypnotic’ stare a gift from her father.

Alex Monner’s Dani, Greta’s ex-partner is loyal, compassionate and grounded. He is torn between his duty as a father and his inability to physically love Greta. The scene in which Greta endeavours to force him to make love to her is a highlight.

The performances of Tomas Martin as Greta’s younger brother and Adela Silvestre as Noe, Greta’s housemate are also memorable and add emotional depth to the narrative.

Belen Funes’ direction is tight and has drawn powerful performances from his cast. He has created a compulsive watch.

As mentioned above, the ending is unexpected. While I found this unsatisfying, I can only suspect this was intentional to either allow us to imagine what Greta’s continuing life would entail or to highlight the hopelessness of her situation.

A Thief’s Daughter is a riveting portrait of a sensitive but determined young woman fighting against a world determined to stop her from fulfilling her potential. 

Review written by Barry Hill