''Year of Enlightment'' ( es, El año de las luces, and also released as ''The Year of the Awakening'') is a 1986 Spanish film directed by

Fernando Trueba Fernando Rodríguez Trueba (born 18 January 1955), known as Fernando Trueba, is a Spanish book editor, screenwriter, film director and producer. Between 1974 and 1979, he worked as a film critic for Spain's leading daily newspaper '' El País' ...

, starring

Jorge Sanz Jorge Sanz Miranda (born 26 August 1969) is a Spanish actor and one of the most prominent actors of the Spanish cinema since the 1980s. He is known to international audiences for his roles in the films: '' Amantes'' (1991) by director Vicente Ara ...

and

Maribel Verdú María Isabel Verdú Rollán (; born 2 October 1970) is a Spanish actress. Some of her film credits include performances in '' Lovers'', ''Belle Époque'', ''Y tu mamá también'', ''Pan's Labyrinth'', '' The Blind Sunflowers'' and ''Snow Whi ...

. The film is a coming of age story of a sixteen-year-old boy finding love and sex in the aftermath of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. The film was awarded the

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot

In the spring of 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil war, two sons of a fallen soldier, Manolo, a sixteen-year-old boy, and his eight-year-old little brother Jesús are suffering from symptoms of tuberculosis. Their much older brother, Pepe, takes them to a rural sanatorium in Sierra de Gata near the border with Portugal. They stay there to recover their health under the watch of Irene, the director. Manolo is the only adolescent, all the others are children. Starting his sexual awakening, he is smitten with Vicenta, the attractive woman in charge of the care of the children. Every night when she undresses Manolo spies her. However, Manolo's flirtations and sexual advances do not find response in either Vicenta or Paquita, a young girl who also works at the sanatorium. Instead is the sexually repressed head nurse Irene, who is infatuated with the young boy. Forced to assist to classes against his will with the much younger children in the residence, Manolo clashes violently with the conservative authoritarianism of Doña Tránsito, the teacher. After a confrontation with her, Manolo is left to study on his own. Emilio an old free thinker and janitor of the sanatorium guides Manolo in his readings and teaches him about Montaigne, Balzac and Flaubert. Disappointed with the sudden departure of Vicenta, who has to leave her job, Manolo is soon infatuated with Vicenta's successor, María Jesús, a young pretty girl from the village and only one year his junior. Manolo's friend, Emilio, encourages him in the awakening of his romance with María Jesús. The two teenagers are promptly discovering together their first love and sexual awakening. Irene discovers them when kissing in the infirmary. She fires Maria Jesus and sends her with her uncle the local priest, abruptly stopping their romance; María Jesús is actually the priest illegitimate daughter. Pepe, an Army officer, comes back to take Manolo with the rest of their family and the young lovers are separated forever.

Cast

The two teenage leads Jorge Sanz and Maribel Verdú were subsequently cast together in many Spanish films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most notably in '' Amantes'', directed by

Vicente Aranda Vicente Aranda Ezquerra (; 9 November 1926 – 26 May 2015) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer. Due to his refined and personal style, he was one of the most renowned Spanish filmmakers. He started as a f ...

. *

- Manolo *

- María Jesús *

Verónica Forqué Verónica Forqué Vázquez-Vigo (; 1 December 1955 – 13 December 2021) was a Spanish stage, film and television actress. She was a four-time Goya Award winner, the most award-winning actress alongside Carmen Maura. She had a knack for charact ...

- Irene *

Manuel Alexandre Manuel Alexandre Abarca OAXS MML (11 November 1917 – 12 October 2010) was a Spanish film and television actor. Career He was a popular supporting actor. He won an Honorary Goya Award in 2003 for his career achievements. Filmography in c ...

- Emilio *

Rafaela Aparicio Rafaela Díaz Valiente MML (9 April 1906 – 9 June 1996) better known as Rafaela Aparicio was a famous Spanish film and theatre actress. She made more than 100 films. The most remembered are Carlos Saura's ''Anna and the Wolves'', ''Mama Tu ...

- Rafaela * Santiago Ramos - Pepe *

Chus Lampreave María Jesús Lampreave Pérez (11 December 1930 – 4 April 2016), known professionally as Chus Lampreave, was a Spanish character actress who starred in more than 70 films. She is internationally known for her roles in films by Pedro Almodó ...

- Doña Tránsito *Lucas Martín - Jesús *

José Sazatornil José Sazatornil Buendía (13 August 1925 – 23 July 2015) was a Spanish actor who appeared in numerous films since making his debut in 1946. Biography He was born in Barcelona on 13 August 1925. He was the son of the owner of a small shop in ...

- Don Teodulo *

Violeta Cela Violeta Bravo Cela (born December 7, 1960) is a Spanish actress, model, columnist and voice actress. She is the cousin of Paloma Cela and second niece of Nobel Prize winning writer Camilo José Cela. Born in Madrid, Spain, Cela began her acting c ...

- Vicenta *

Diana Peñalver Diana Peñalver (born 1965) is a Spanish actress known for starring in '' Braindead'' (1992), ''Year of Enlightment ''Year of Enlightment'' ( es, El año de las luces, and also released as ''The Year of the Awakening'') is a 1986 Spanish film ...

- Paquita

Overview

''El Año de las Luces'', a sensitive rites of passage film was co-authored by

Rafael Azcona Rafael Azcona Fernández (24 October 1926 – 24 March 2008) was an awarded Spanish screenwriter and novelist who has worked with some of the best Spanish and international filmmakers. Azcona won five Goya Awards during his career, includi ...

and the director

, who later worked together on the Oscar-winning

Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

a film similar in tone, setting and period.'' El Año de las Luces'', is based on an episode of the real life of Manule Huete the director's father in law. A large scale production it was shot with panoramic lenses, in gorgeous color in

Ponte de Lima Ponte de Lima () is the oldest ''vila'' (chartered town, head of a municipality) in Portugal. It is part of the district of Viana do Castelo. The population in 2011 was 43,498, in an area of 320.25 km2. The town proper has about 2,800 inhabi ...

, Portugal, Quintanar de Sanabria, Zamora and in Madrid. It premiered on December 5, 1986 and was awarded with a Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival.Schwartz, ''The Great Spanish Films'', p. 123

DVD release

'' El Año de las Luces '' is available in Region 2 DVD in Spanish with no English subtitles.

Notes

References

* Schwartz, Ronald, ''The Great Spanish Films: 1950 - 1990'', Scarecrow Press, London, 1991,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Year Of Enlightment 1986 films 1986 comedy films Films directed by Fernando Trueba Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Goya Award-winning performance Films set in Spain Spanish comedy films 1980s Spanish-language films Films with screenplays by Rafael Azcona