26/07/2024 - The new feature by Catalan filmmaker Mar Coll explores the troubling figure of the regretful mother with undertones of psychological horror

Maria, a promising young writer and new mother, stumbles upon a chilling headline: a French woman has drowned her 10-month-old twins in the bathtub. The gruesome act seizes Maria's imagination, becoming an obsession. Why did she do it? From that moment onwards, the specter of infanticide looms over Maria's life as a haunting possibility.

This is the synopsis of Salve Maria [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Mar Coll
film profile], the new feature by Catalan director Mar Coll, which is having its world premiere in Competition at the Locarno Film Festival, taking place from 7 to 17 August.

"In my film, I explore the troubling figure of the regretful mother. Trapped in relentless guilt and social misunderstanding, she faces the fear of her own monstrous condition, through a chilling tale unleashed by her imagination," the director explains.

Always with a focus on intimate relationships, Mar Coll is acclaimed for Three Days with the Family [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (for which she received the Goya for Best New Director) and We All Want What's Best for Her [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and has directed the series Matar al padre and This Is Not Sweden [+see also:
series review
trailer
interview: Aina Clotet
series profile].

The film is a production by Sergi Casamitjana for Escándalo Films and María Zamora for Elastica Films. It will be distributed in Spain by Elastica Films and its international sales will be handled by the Belgian agency Be for Films.

Check out our exclusive clip below: