Maria is a midwife, who finds herself on the wrong side of the law in Franco’s Spain, so she flees to Portugal by boat and on foot. Risking her safety, she makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Already looked upon as a sort-of pseudo witch, María works as a midwife, helping women deliver babies, and making ends meet by fishing. When she secretly agrees to help a young woman terminate a pregnancy, things do not go as planned, and she is forced to flee for her life. Jaione Camborda’s sophomore feature is a stunning tour-de-force, beautifully underscoring the struggles and resilience of women in the past with a clear nod to the present.

“[C]elebrates the female body while revealing and denouncing all the powers and rules that traverse it.” –Luis Martínez, El Mundo