Calle Málaga

2025 [SPANISH]

Action / Drama / Romance

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 97% · 33 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 97%
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 626 626

sexual desire mother daughter relationship loss of home old people parents home

Plot summary

Maria Angeles, a 79-year-old Spanish woman, lives alone in Tangier, Morocco, and enjoys her daily routine. However, her life is turned upside down when her daughter arrives from Madrid to sell the apartment in which she has always lived. Determined to stay, she does everything she can to get her home and her belongings back and, unexpectedly, rediscovers love and sensuality.

Director

Maryam Touzani Photo
Maryam Touzani

Top cast

Carmen Maura Photo
Carmen Maura as Maria Angeles Muñoz
Marta Etura Photo
Marta Etura as Clara Muñoz
Ahmed Boulane Photo
Ahmed Boulane as Abslam
Mohamed Naimane Photo
Mohamed Naimane as Assilah Vendor
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.04 GB
1280*690
Spanish 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 20
1.94 GB
1920*1036
Spanish 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 29
1.74 GB
1920*1036
Spanish 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 19

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Sees All 10 / 10

Beautiful!

I really liked this movie. Well, actually, I loved it. Something about it grabbed me emotionally. The story concerns an elderly widow who has spent her entire life in a Spanish enclave in Tangier, although she is Spanish. She receives a rare visit from her grown daughter, who is divorced and works as a nurse in Madrid. She brings the news that due to economic necessity, she has put the flat in Tangier on the market and that her mother must vacate the premises. She offers two alternatives: a) come to Madrid and live with her and her grandchildren, or b) go into a nice senior citizen's home in Tangier. The widow says that moving to Madrid is out of the question. She was born in Tangier and has lived her entire life there. She is happy there. But the daughter says that she cannot continue living in the flat and all the furniture must be sold, too. She reluctantly enters the home, but is miserable there. There are some very funny scenes about life in the home. The lady is a spunky gal and doesn't want any of the condescending treatment she receives there. So, she tells a series of lies and after the daughter returns to Madrid, furtively moves back into the old apartment, since the new owner has not yet materialized. She devises ways to get money and buy back all her beloved furniture from the dealer. Her closest friend is an elderly nun, who has been a good friend virtually her entire life. She confides everything to her. Thus, the lady embarks on a new adventure of illegal businesses, and a passionate love affair in her late 70s! There is a sex scene with nudity between the geriatric couple that is surprisingly quite moving. (She later describes their sex acts to her nun friend in great detail.) This film is full of surprises. At first, I was a little puzzled by the ending, but after reflecting on it, I realized that this was the only way it logically could end. The cast, led by the fabulous Carmen Maura (WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN), is perfection: the put-upon daughter, the nun buddy, the tradespeople she interacts with on a daily basis, the elderly, but still sexually active lover, are all splendid. This is a film written and directed by the same husband-and-wife team that gave us the excellent THE BLUE CAFTAN a few years ago. This is a very different film, and is far more emotionally involving. CALLE MALAGA was Morocco's official entry in the Best International Film category in this year's Oscar race. It was NOT nominated, which I consider a crime. (I have seen all the other nominees and this one is head-and-shoulders above them.) However, it will be eligible for all the other categories in next year's Oscar competition. I'm already rooting for Carmen Maura. She is a great artist at the top of her game. This may be the best movie I've ever seen about old age (and I've seen some good ones). This is a passionate and COMpassionate film. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by joepm28 7 / 10

Beautiful, in a quiet way

I had a vague idea what Calle Malaga was about going in to the film - and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was!Calle Malaga tells the story of Maria Angeles (Carmen Maura) an old widow living a simple yet comfortable life as a part of the Spanish community in Morocco. All of this is upended when her daughter, Clara (Marta Etura), comes for a quick visit, all to let her mother know she's selling Maria's apartment (which Clara owns). From there ensues a heartfelt tale of how Maria deals with the upending of a life she's known for over forty years.The film is beautifully shot, giving a rich, colorful feel for Maria's life. Carmen Maura gives a realistic portrayal of a proud senior facing uncertainty - and rising to the occasion.One quibble is that the story does short shrift on why there is such an obvious strain in the relationship between mother and daughter.Other than that, it is well worth seeing. And - FWIW - the ending may leave some dissatisfied yet I found totally fitting.
Reviewed by peter0969 7 / 10

Warm, sorrowful, and touching

Watched at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.Although it's narrative does steam from predictable natures and certain characters are left feeling in need of more, no doubt Maryam Touzani gentle and tender soft approach to a sorrowful and warm tale about people and conflicts remains strong and engaging. What Touzani is successful is taking serious topics, yet, crafting into a warm, touching and emotional adventure and exploration within it's characters.Her direction on the themes, the camerawork and the concept is pretty good. Allowing the viewers to understand and observe the conflict and issues the main character faces. Alongside with good production and atmosphere, the performance from Carmen Maura was really great, her personality, emotions and energy was really likeable and engaging to observe.However, I won't say this is the best movie from Touzani as I did wish some of the writing and character development could be better. Certain aspects feel a bit too thin and a bit predictable, which lacks the creative nature. Yet, Maryam Touzani still holds the punches successfully thanks to the great performances and the ambitious approach.
Read more IMDb reviews

2 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment