"La novia" - a film by Paula Ortiz

​One of best films I have seen this year so far is the gorgeous film "La novia" by the young Spanish director Paula Ortiz. This film was released in 2015, and brilliantly portrays the passion, destruction and tragedy of Federico García Lorca's play Bodas de sangre (Blood weddings).

What strikes me as inspiring about this film is the way in which Ortiz tells the story through the eyes of la Novia, the principal female character of Lorca's play. Although Bodas de sangre was written in 1932, it is a play that still connects with the modern reader and effectively highlights the restrictive rules that society places on women. 

Both the film and Lorca's play take place in southern Spain, where the main character, la Novia, is a young women who is promised to be married to el Novio. The family of el Novio holds a grudge against la Novia, due to her relationship as a young girl with a member of a feuding family. We find, however, that after a passionate decision on the night of her wedding, la Novia embarks on a dangerous journey towards a new life of her own choosing; one that goes against the societal norms with which she has been raised. 

It is striking to observe Paula Ortiz's focus on the character of La Novia throughout the film. Through her eyes, we see la Novia as an intelligent and caring person, but also a passionate woman who cannot resist the call of her own emotions.

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Through my study of La novia, I focused on the field of "psychocinematics", a relatively new field of critical analysis which focuses on the scientific evaluation of our aesthetic approach to movies. Through my analysis of "La novia", I investigated how the techniques used by the director Paula Ortiz help to develop empathy in the viewer for the characters in the film.

The director - Paula Ortiz

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La novia would be an excellent addition to any curriculum, whether it be during a study of Federico García Lorca, a reading of Bodas de sangre, or even a study of Spanish culture in the early 20th century. 

Keep your eyes out for two upcoming resources from The Immersive Classroom- a comprehensible input unit based on Bodas de sangre, and a film guide to La novia (coming soon!)

If nothing else, please watch this film for yourself! You won't be disappointed. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and happy teaching!