'Window to the Sea' Directed by Miguel Ángel Jiménez

“Those that take risks get the life they want”, not as easy as it sounds, but pretty close to the decisions made by María (Emma Suárez) in this very moving film about love and loss, when María discovers she only has a few months to live.

by Corina J Poore

Viewed at the 2020 London Spanish Film Festival, the delightful Window to the Sea tells the story of a 55-year old woman, María, who unexpectedly receives life-changing news. Feeling bombarded with medical interventions and against all the advice of her son Imanol (Gaizka Ugarte) and her doctors, she decides to take a break with her friends Mentxu and Bego, to the Island of Nisyros in Greece. There she finds the inner peace she longed for, a space to re-experience and soak in life, far from the stresses of Bilbao in the Basque country. She meets Stefanos and, against all odds, she chooses to take a chance at joy and happiness.

Written (with Luis Moya Redrado) as an ode to his own mother, Mercedes, who died of cancer, director Miguel Ángel Jiménez admits he also suffered from the despair of trying to do too much, aggravating her peace in a hopeless situation, so he wanted his character, María, to succeed in keeping her dignity with the freedom to do things her way: -

“In the film, I wanted María to be free, so that despite her suffering, she could be experiencing the best moments of her life.”

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Miguel Ángel Jiménez

The whole experience was cathartic, not only for him, but also for others who had lost much loved relatives and friends, such as Emma Suárez, whose close friend, the artist Ceesepe, recently died. Suárez drew on her own experiences to achieve the character of María. The film is austere in some ways, which makes it all the more poignant and universal, which will echo with most viewers. It is, nevertheless, a weepy, so remember to take your hanky. There are even some melodramatic moments, but Jimenez artfully steers away from any sentimentality. Not easy with this subject matter. This restraint was a very conscious decision on the part of the director. He did not want to delve into the physical details of illness but to explore the emotional world. He hopes no one will be able to remain indifferent and that they would leave the cinema inspired to “call a loved one on the telephone, or even to take a trip as well. That is what I would like.”

Sensitively shot by Director of Photography Gorka Gómez Andreu, it is an intimate tale. As María criss-crosses the island exploring and soaking in every detail, we feel close to and travel with her on this difficult journey. Much of the action takes place in a modest fisherman’s house with windows and doors that open right onto the sea. María and Stefanos are immersed in the Mediterranean in every sense. A beautifully crafted film, it is also held together by the very powerful presence and performance of Emma Suárez with perfectly nuanced support from Akilos Karazisis.

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Akilos Karazisis and Emma Suárez

Nominated for six Goyas and winner of three, Emma Suárez has had a legendary career trajectory, among the most powerful, her starring role in Pedro Almodovar’s Julieta. In Window to the Sea, Jiménez gave her the space and freedom to develop the character in depth and Suárez rose to the challenge with one of her most moving performances to date. She has worked with many of the greatest Spanish directors, including Julio Medem (Vacas 1992, La Ardilla Roja 1993 and Tierra 1996), Juan Estelrich Jr (La Vía Láctea 1993 and Pintadas 1997) and the much-missed Pilar Miró with her mesmerising version of Lope de Vegas’ El Perro del Hortelano (A Dog in a Manger- 1996) with Carmelo Gómez.

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Emma Suárez in Pintadas 1997

The narrative focus of Window to the Sea is on María, but Stefanos, subtly played by Akilos Karazisis is the perfect complement. He completed the picture apparently effortlessly with a sensitive and minimalist performance that carried the day. María and Stefanos portray real people in love, with the apparent ease and honesty of lifelong companions, that adds to the impact of the story at every turn. The simple act of María carefully planting seeds of plants she would never see, was astonishingly poignant.

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