La mitad del cielo

La Mitad del Cielo (Half of Heaven) is a fantastic film that will give the viewer a wonderful sense of Spanish history, culture, and the natural beauty of Spain.

Set immediately following the Spanish Civil War, a young woman is forced to move from her home in the north to Madrid, where she gets a job as a wet nurse. Over time she rises in society and comes to have her own restaurant (this is a great food film with a fun food fight). Part of what makes it special is a mystical connection between the woman's daughter and mother, both of whom can see the future, a power which seems to skip generations.

See it!

A great film that challenges the identification of women with the domestic sphere. The protagonist's somber struggle involves breaking into the world of Franco's male dominated 70's - not directly after the Spanish Civil War-that was in the 30's. A touch of the surreal but the darker, more reserved Spanish style, not the colorful magical realism of Latin America.

There's a sly magic at work in this fascinating Spanish feature: not the high-tech sleight-of-hand conjured up by the FX wizards, but the more natural magic found in the unseen order of chance and circumstance. On a superficial level the film traces 13 years in the life of a peasant girl from rural Spain (Angela Molina), seeking her fortune in the big city as the owner of a fashionable restaurant patronized by the rich and powerful. But just below the surface of the story is a deceptively (super) natural subtext, showing the invisible ties binding Molina, for better or worse, to the other generations of women in her family, in particular to her earthy, cigar-chomping abuela, who extends her unseen influence from beyond the grave through Molina's demure, otherworldly young daughter. The title of the film is borrowed from an old proverb which says "women are half of heaven", and the almost mystical (and for Molina, sometimes inconvenient) rapport between daughter and grandmother is revealed in a sometimes witty, sometimes haunting web of timely but not entirely random accidents, adding up to an unusual film of rare depth and beauty.

Marvellous and magic film about the rising of a woman (Angela Molina) in Franco era from her little poor village to become the owner of a fashion restaurant.. It has also a supernatural inner plot, like a Celtic fairy tale, through the role of this woman's grandma and daughter. Alcaine's cinematography is beautiful, and the work of all the cast is excellent. The script and the direction develops nicely the story as well, with amazing elipsis. It is necessary to emphasize also the work of Fernando Fernan Gómez, as superb as always, in the role of the nice and rich old man who helps the main character.Fernan Gómez wasn't a usual actor. He used to give to his roles his own personality as the monster of the acting he was. And in this film his role is also very charming, because despite he feels deeply attracted by this woman and has an affair With her, also let her to be free and want her happiness. And what can i say about Angela Molina work? As in most other films she shriek and squeal a lot with her high voice. In any other actress it would be ridiculous. But in her is a part of her acting that always fits perfectly!!

This movie has "haunted" me since I saw it five or six years ago, and I keep trying to find a place where I could rent it again. The scenery is awesome -- green and fertile. The story captures the little-known Celtic side (i.e., magical side) of the folks from northern Spain. It is a slice-of-life quite unlike my own life -- and makes you think. See it at least once.