''Modesty'' () is a 2007 Spanish drama film directed by David Ulloa and

Tristán Ulloa Tristán Ulloa (born 6 May 1970) is a Spanish actor, writer, and director. Career Tristán Ulloa was born in Orléans, France, and soon moved to Madrid, Spain, where he spent his early childhood. At age 12, he moved to Vigo, Galicia. His mother, ...

, based on the novel by Santiago Roncagliolo. Its cast features

Nancho Novo Venancio Manuel Jesús Novo Cid-Fuentes (born 17 September 1958), known as Nancho Novo, is a Spanish actor. Life and career Venancio Manuel Jesús Novo Cid-Fuentes was born in A Coruña in September 1958. He studied medicine in Santiago de ...

, Elvira Mínguez, Natalia Rodríguez Arroyo, Celso Bugallo, Carolina Román, and Marcos Ruiz, among others.

Plot

Set in

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality by population in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coa ...

and dealing with the theme of family isolation, the plot tracks the plight and secrets of a number of characters, including lonely boy Sergio (inclined to talk to the dead), dying father Alfredo (diagnosed with

brain tumour A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cancero ...

), anonimously sexted adoptive mother Julia, self-hating lesbian sister Marisa, and the widowed grandfather.

Cast

Production

Penned by

, the screenplay is an adaptation of the novel ''Pudor'' by Santiago Roncagliolo. The film was produced by Tesela PC (), with the participation of TVE and

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

. Shooting locations included Gijón.

Release

The film was presented at the 10th

Málaga Film Festival The Málaga Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since ...

in March 2007. Distributed by Sogepaq, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 13 April 2007.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' deemed the film to be "gritty, sometimes grueling and with a tendency to over-schematize", but "absorbing" nonetheless owing to "superb across-the-board perfs and a script that slowly winds its emotional spring to a cathartic final scene". Fausto Fernández of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is a Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó ...

'' rated ''Modesty'' 3 out of 5 stars, singling out the portrayal of the "viscerality and fragility of the characters" as the film's standout, while citing the "insistence" on the homosexual subplot as a negative point.

Accolades

, - , align = "center" rowspan = "2" , 2007 , , 10th

, , Best Actress , , Elvira Mínguez , , , , , - , 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival , , Best Actress , , Elvira Mínguez , , , , align = "center" , , - , rowspan = "2" align = "center" , 2008 , , rowspan = "2" ,

22nd Goya Awards The 22nd ceremony of the annual Goya Awards, took place at the Palacio de Congresos of the Campo de las Naciones in Madrid, Spain on February 3, 2008, presented by José Corbacho. On December 17, 2007, Juan Diego Botto and Ivana Baquero read t ...

, ,

Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V'' **Runners-up: Steve Kloves – '' ...

, , David Ulloa, Tristán Ulloa , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Adapted Screenplay , , Tristán Ulloa , ,

Informational notes

References

{{reflist Films set in Asturias Spanish drama films 2007 drama films 2000s Spanish-language films 2000s Spanish films Films based on Peruvian novels Films shot in Asturias Spanish LGBTQ-related films 2007 LGBTQ-related films 2007 films