A homage. touching. convincing. remind of the sufferance of people and families. and about a long , painful resistance. beautiful. and , in some measure, flat. because you expect more. the facts are well known. the polot is not so surprising. all is perfect at first sigh. and something, real significant, is missing. the good point - the subtle feminin force of performances.

Another story set in the grim beginnings of the "New Spain" during the drab winter of 1940, as the victorious nationalists rounded up their defeated opponents to be jailed and in many cases shot. Where this film differs is that it concentrates on the women, being set mostly in a Madrid prison where we see both republican inmates, some with babies, and the staff keeping them there, who are wardresses under the command of nuns. The role of the church in supporting the regime comes under heavy criticism. That Franco's rule was thoroughly unpleasant from the start is taken as given and even after 70 years little attempt is made at balance, for this is the story of the victims. Touching moments from the two principals, Inma Cuesta and Marìa Leòn, playing sisters in their late teens who learn painfully what dignity and courage mean. Their men are communist guerillas in the mountains, one of whom is tortured to death and the other sentenced to 30 years.Sombre prison interiors and grey wintry exteriors convey the gloom that prevails, intensified by a sparse soundtrack. Only occasional flashes of bravery and of compassion lighten the tense oppressive atmosphere.

I could not take my eyes off the scene throughout the movie.It is so breath-taking and it throws me into such rage against the inhumanity of the Franco administration. The ending scenes of Hortensia breast-feeding her new born baby before she was taken out to be shot would forever be woven into my mind.The Spanish Civil War was one of those wars which were largely forgotten. People thought that since the Nazis were defeated, they had achieved their purpose. Perhaps it was not wise to ask for another war to purge the world of the remaining dictator who gave so much sorrow to the Spanish people. But little was done even if we discounted military action.And in the film, the position taken up by the Church was simply disgusting. There was a line in the film: Spain would be free if there is no more Church or tyranny. Well, one of them is gone. Let us hope the days of the remaining one is numbered.The performance of Imma Cuesta is just great! And thanks to Benito who brought up another great film for us.

Dramatic picture about the consequences of Spanish civil war , being realized with academicism and general coldness . Madrid, 1940 , the Cordoba girl named Pepita (Mary Leon) comes to the capital , Madrid, to be near her sister, Hortensia (Inma Cuesta), pregnant and in prison of Ventas , she is framed as a rebellion convict , and subsequently is condemned to Death Row . She meets Paulino (Marc Clotet) , an evaded Guerrillero del ¨Maquis¨ and bourgeouis origin who fights in the Sierra and Pepita fall in love with him .¨La Voz Dormida¨ results to be other of the innumerable stories to deal with dramatic deeds regarding the Civil War background . A familiar theme about the global horrors of a fratricide war , impossible to forget to our cinema . "The voice asleep¨, adapted from the novel by Dulce Chacón and directed by Benito Zambrano entered the Spanish selection for Oscar being finally superseded by other flick in similar tendency , "Pa Negre (black bread)" .Benito Zambrano (Solas , Padre Coraje , Habana Blues) , also writes the script along with with Ignacio del Moral, filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement .Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Alex Catalan (Even the rain , Camino , Room in Rome) and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence, every space, the main problem has to face "The voice asleep", beyond not being able to avoid falling into the politic pamphlet is precisely derived from the coldness of its staging, which eventually become monotonous over two hours of footage . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this slow-moving and sometimes boring film .But anyway, its is compensated with the great performances from Maria Leon and Inma Cuesta , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . Zambrano is a great director of actors and the main players are complemented by a good cast of secondaries (Ana Wagener, Berta Ojea , Lola Casamayor, Lizarralde , Susi Sanchez , Myrian Gallego , among others) forming a powerful human group of women and giving excellent interpretations .In the 26th Annual Goya Awards , presented by the Academia De las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas De España (Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences), main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards , ¨La Voz Dormida¨ won deservedly , prize to Best New Actress (Mejor Actriz Revelación) María León , being nominated the best director Benito Zambrano , furthermore , Maria Leon Won Silver Seashell Best Actress in San Sebastian International Film Festival .