''The Girls at the Station'' () is a 2024 Spanish drama film directed by

Juana Macías Juana Macías Alba (born 1971) is a Spanish filmmaker. Life and career Juana Macías Alba was born in Madrid in 1971. She earned a licentiate degree in audiovisual communication from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). Her short film ' ...

from a screenplay by Macías and Isa Sánchez. It stars Julieta Tobío, Salua Hadra, and María Steelman.

Plot

The plot follows the plight of Jara, Álex, and Miranda, three teenage girls who have been raised together in a centre for minors under guardianship and become entangled in a prostitution ring.

Cast

Production

The plot is based on a real case that shocked public opinion involving multiple instances of sexual abuse of residents in public centers managed by the . ''The Girls at the Station'' was produced by FeelGood Media, Kowalski Films, La Perifèrica Produccions and Las chicas de la estación AIE, with the participation of

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española (''Spanish Radio and Television'', RTVE), is the Spanish national public Broadcasting, television and radio broadcaster. It is a state-owned enterprise f ...

, IB3 and

Movistar Plus+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by , which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL as well as with satellites such as Astra. The pl ...

and the backing from ICAA, Mallorca Turisme, Mallorca Film Commission, the Madrid regional administration and

Ayuntamiento de Madrid The City Council of Madrid () is the top-tier administrative and governing body of Madrid, the capital and biggest city of Spain. The city council is composed by three bodies: the Mayor of Madrid, mayor, who leads the city council and the execut ...

. Principal photography started on 5 June 2023. Shooting locations included

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

and

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Release

The film was presented at the Cines Príncipe during a RTVE gala of the

72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival The 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival took place from 20 to 28 September 2024 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. Background A restored 4K version of Montxo Armendariz's film ''Tasio'' (which premiered at the 1984 San Sebastián ...

on 23 September 2024. It is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 22 November 2024 by

A Contracorriente Films A Contracorriente Films is a Spanish film distribution and production company. It is based in Barcelona. History The company was founded in 2009 in Barcelona by Adolfo Blanco along with other people, including Amalia Blanco Lucas, Eduardo Esc ...

Reception

Alfonso Rivera of ''

Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...

'' wrote that the film not just emerges as "a respectable and effective condemnation film, but also as a love letter to friendship and sisterhood".

Javier Ocaña Javier Ocaña (born 1971) is a Spanish film critic. Life and career Ocaña was born in 1971 in Martos, province of Jaén. He earned a licentiate degree in law from the University of Granada and a master's degree in journalism from the Autonomo ...

of ''

El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...

'' wrote that Macías finds some of the best scenes in the film in the "contrast between the outer light of the girls, for they are girls, and the inner darkness". 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 the film 3 out 5 stars, pointing out that Macías' greatest success "lies in the cast, made up of non-professional debutants, who lend nerve and authenticity to the drama", while mentioning that the ending "errs on the side of optimism".

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "2" , , , rowspan = "2" ,

4th Carmen Awards The 4th Carmen Awards ceremony, presented by the Andalusian Film Academy, took place on 1 February 2025 at the Gran Teatro in Córdoba. In January 2025, Macarena Gómez and Antonio Pagudo were announced as the gala hosts. Producer Antonio Pére ...

, , Best New Actress , , María Steelman , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Original Score , , Isabel Royán , ,

References

Films about child prostitution Films about prostitution in Spain Films directed by Juana Macías 2024 drama films 2024 films 2020s Spanish-language films 2020s Spanish films Films shot in Madrid Films shot in the Balearic Islands Films about friendship {{authority control