The August Virgin

The August Virgin (Spanish: La virgen de agosto) is a 2019 Spanish drama film directed by Jonás Trueba which stars Itsaso Arana. The film was written by Trueba alongside Arana.

The August Virgin
Theatrical release poster
SpanishLa virgen de agosto
Directed byJonás Trueba
Written by
Produced byJavier Lafuente
Starring
  • Itsaso Arana
  • Vito Sanz
  • Isabelle Stoffel
  • Joe Manjón
  • Mikele Urroz
  • Luis Heras
  • María Herrador
  • Naiara Carmona
CinematographySantiago Racaj
Edited byMarta Velasco
Production
companies
  • La virgen de agosto, A.I.E.
  • Los Ilusos Films, S.L.
Distributed byBTeam Pictures
Release date
  • 15 August 2019 (2019-08-15) (Spain)
Running time
129 minutes
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

Plot

Eva, an out-of-work actress aged 33 who is on her own, decides not to go away during the heat of August but to stay in Madrid, where a friend lets her have the use of his central apartment. She resolves to get to know the city and its inhabitants by just letting things happen. Wandering about the streets and dropping into bars, she meets old friends and makes new friends, both men and women.

Walking home in the early hours, she sees a man she fears is going to jump from a bridge and she hastily starts a conversation to distract him. He is Agos, who was just having a quiet cigarette before going to the bar where his girlfriend works. The Next evening, Eva follows Agos into the bar and continues the conversation. He is an out-of-work actor, separated from his wife and little daughter, who lives by odd jobs in bars. She goes back to his flat and they make love, after which she admits that she is pregnant. Later, when his daughter asks who the father is and Eva replies that she does not know, the little girl says that's just like the Virgin Mary.[1][2]

Cast

Production
The Segovia Viaduct is featured in the movie.[5]

The August Virgin was written by director Jonás Trueba alongside leading actress Itsaso Arana.[6] The crew was completed by the likes of Santiago Racaj (cinematography), Marta Velasco (editing), Miguel Ángel Rebollo (art direction) and Laura Renau (costume direction).[6]

The film was produced by Los Ilusos Films and La Virgen de Agosto AIE,[4] and it had the participation from ICAA, the regional administration and Telemadrid.[6] It was fully shot in Madrid in the Summer of 2018, from late July to mid August, during the verbenas of San Cayetano, San Lorenzo, and La Paloma.[7]

Some of the outdoor locations include the Plaza de Cascorro, Plaza de Gabriel Miró, Plaza de la Paja, Calle de Argumosa, Calle de Santa Ana, Calle de las Dos Hermanas, the Temple of Debod, Las Vistillas, Calle de Bailén, the Sabatini Gardens, the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid Río or the Segovia Viaduct.[7]

Release

The August Virgin made its world premiere at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (28 June – 6 July 2019), as part of the festival's competitive lineup.[8] Distributed by BTeam Pictures,[9] the film was theatrically released in Spain on 15 August 2019.[6] It premiered in France on 5 August 2020.[6]

Awards and nominations
Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
201924th Toulouse Spanish Film FestivalBest ActressItsaso AranaWon[10]
Best ScreenplayJonás Trueba & Itsaso AranaWon
20207th Feroz AwardsBest Film PosterLaura RenauNominated[11]
202146th César AwardsBest Foreign FilmNominated[12]

See also

References
  1. Debruge, Peter (20 August 2020). "'The August Virgin' Review: Spend a Quiet Month in Madrid With This Late-Summer Breather". Variety.
  2. Vázquez, Pablo (14 August 2019). "Crítica de 'La virgen de agosto'". Fotogramas (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. Juez, Beatriz (12 March 2021). "Jonás Trueba e Itsaso Arana: «No estábamos en ninguna quiniela» para los César". El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  4. "'La virgen de agosto' de Jonás Trueba, a punto de competir en Mar del Plata". Cine y Tele (in Spanish). 7 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  5. Saldaña, Cristina (3 August 2021). "Un paseo por Madrid de la mano de 'La virgen de agosto'". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. "'La virgen de agosto' de Jonás Trueba, nominada al César del cine francés a la mejor película extranjera" (in Spanish). 11 February 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  7. "La virgen de agosto participa en el Festival Internacional de Karlovy Vary". City of Madrid Film Office (in Spanish). Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio S.A. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  8. Rivera, Alfonso (2 July 2017). "Crítica: La virgen de agosto". Cineuropa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  9. "'La virgen de agosto' – estreno en cines 15 de agosto". Audiovisual451 (in Spanish). 11 August 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  10. "La navarra Itsaso Arana, premio a la mejor actriz y al guion en Toulouse". Diario de Navarra. 18 October 2019.
  11. "Premios Feroz 2020: la lista completa de ganadores". HuffPost (in Spanish). 16 January 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  12. Quidet, Frédéric (13 March 2021). "Le film 'Adieu les cons' d'Albert Dupontel remporte 7 César, voici le palmarès complet pour 2021". Business Insider (in French). Retrieved 2 November 2021.
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