Forastera
Directed by Lucía Aleñar Iglesias
Written by Lucía Aleñar Iglesias
Starring Zoe Stein, Lluís Homar, Núria Prims, Marta Angelat
2025 | Drama | 1h 37m | Spain
Forastera, the first full-length feature by director Lucía Aleñar Iglesias has been showcased at film festivals in Toronto, Valladolid (Spain), Marrakech, Stockholm, Tallinn (Estonia), and D’A (Barcelona). At its Toronto world premiere, in the Discovery section, it won the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Award. Five years earlier, a much shorter version was shown at Cannes and at Gijón (Spain).
What did Iglesias do differently in the longer film? For starters she changed the name of the lead character, shortening it to Cata. Cata is played by Zoe Stein, in a mesmerizing performance. And for another, the director increased screen time for grandfather Tomeu, skillfully portrayed by Lluís Homar.
Grandmother Catalina (Marta Angelat) is the spiritual center of this Catalan household by the ocean. Her accidental death stuns the family, immersing both her husband and two granddaughters, Cata and Eva, in grief so deep that it cannot be put into words. We see Catalina holding hands with her husband on the deck facing the ocean, and embracing him in the living room. We see her sitting with Cata and Eva as she tailors a dress for Cata. Catalina commands the kitchen as her grandchildren help with food and beverages for the men playing cards on the deck. And then she is gone.
What happens next brings the viewer deeply into collective family grief, with focus on Tomeu and his teen grandchild Cata. Facial expressions, body language, subdued lighting in the house by the sea. Cata’s attention turns away from the youth who is courting her and more toward her grieving family.
The viewer is left to decide whether a ghost now resides in the home.
Domestic patterns are ruffled by the visiting presence of Pepa, Tomeu’s daughter, played by Núria Prims. Her nervous energy and furrowed brow seem to offend her father, but her daughters embrace Pepa readily because she too is grieving the loss of grandmother Catalina.
WATCH: FORASTERA | Official Trailer
“She is still here,” Tomeu says of his radiant wife, and indeed there is a hint of her presence everywhere. Cata wears her grandmother’s jacket, handed to her by Pepa, her mother. Cata has visions while she is kayaking, and swimming, and even while attending a festival in the nearby city. She rushes home on her bicycle when she thinks granddad Tomeu is in danger.
Pepa is visiting only because of a family emergency. After Catalina’s sudden death, Cata assumes household duties, preparing meals, comforting younger sister Eva, reminiscing with granddad Tomeu. Is it true that she resembles her late grandmother, except for the silver hair, as someone says at the funeral? Whom does Cata see when she stares in the mirror?
In an interview at the Toronto Film Festival, director Iglesias says the idea of projection is key to her film, and to how grief causes us to want to keep the memory of loved ones close. Entering her teen years, Cata is especially vulnerable as she seeks role models and tries to find herself.
This film moves slowly and often without dialogue (like the lyrical Trifole), but draws you in as the characters interact in processing their grief. Soft voices and muted colors set the stage, create a mood, and allow us to see the changes in Cata. One evening, a sunbeam seems to glance off the wall in every room. The viewer is left to decide whether a ghost now resides in the home.
FORASTERA: FURTHER VIEWING AND RESOURCES
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Forastera about?
Forastera follows Cata, a teenage girl who steps into her late grandmother's role in a Catalan seaside household, as grief blurs the line between memory and presence.
What language is Forastera in?
It is a Catalan-language film set on the island of Mallorca, with subtitles.
Where can I watch Forastera?
Forastera opens theatrically in the U.S. via Grasshopper Film, including a run at Film Forum in New York.
Did Forastera win any awards?
Yes, it won the FIPRESCI International Critics' Award at its Toronto International Film Festival world premiere (Discovery section).