El Sur

Set in northern Spain, the film follows Estrella from childhood into adolescence as she grows up in a house called La Gaviota with her mother Julia, a teacher, and her father Agustín, a doctor who also practices dowsing. Agustín comes from the south of Spain, a region he never discusses, and his silences and secrecy fascinate his daughter. As Estrella learns more about the life her father has kept from his family, daily existence at La Gaviota begins to shift. The story is told in hindsight by an older Estrella looking back on her upbringing and on the parent she adored.

Víctor Erice directed and wrote the screenplay, with Elías Querejeta producing. It was Erice's second feature, arriving a decade after his debut The Spirit of the Beehive. Omero Antonutti plays Agustín, while two actresses portray Estrella at different ages: Sonsoles Aranguren as the eight-year-old and Icíar Bollaín as the fifteen-year-old. Lola Cardona, Rafaela Aparicio and Aurore Clément appear in supporting roles.

The film runs 94 minutes and was released in May 1983 as a Spanish-French co-production involving TVE, Elías Querejeta PC and Chloë Productions. On TMDB it holds a rating of 7.7 out of 10 from roughly 160 votes, indicating a small but appreciative viewership.