10/07/2025 - The Catalonian film by Pere Vilà Barceló is a powerful, well-acted drama exploring sexual abuse, which relies on sharp character writing

This year’s Crystal Globe Competition at Karlovy Vary seems to have an accidental tendency to touch on films that deal with the trauma stemming from sexual abuse, whether it’s linked to grooming, as in Broken Voices [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ondřej Provazník
film profile], or to a much thinner line, the grey area related to exploitation within relationships between young adults. When a River Becomes the Sea [+see also:
trailer
interview: Pere Vilà Barceló
film profile] by Catalonian director Pere Vilà Barceló, who co-wrote it with Laura Merino Compte, deals with the latter. Gaia (Claud Hernández), a young archaeology student, is struggling to find her true calling and is unsure about her choice of studies. She lives with her father (Àlex Brendemühl), who works as a baker, and spends some of her time helping him. The presence of Gaia’s professor, a mentor figure portrayed by Bruna Cusí, will change the course of the girl’s life, while archaeology remains a central thread throughout the plot.

With the help of this older woman, the protagonist slowly comes to realise that what she experienced with her boyfriend was abuse. The relationship that forms between them is a testament to the film’s strong writing, as we witness the emotional scars that both women carry slowly unravel. Nonetheless, When a River Becomes the Sea is a film that, paradoxically, is made up of two big absences, rather than presences. Its predominant characters are on screen for the whole length of the movie, but at the same time, the lack of a maternal figure for Gaia doesn’t go unnoticed. The fact that her only parental figure is a man is a very precise narrative choice, as the clash between the sexes is intensified. Even though the portrayal of the adult male brings out his confusion, Gaia’s father is depicted as deeply caring and understanding.

The other great absence is the cause of Gaia’s suffering: her boyfriend. He’s everywhere in the words of the protagonists, but nowhere to be seen. Once again, this is no coincidence and is clearly the result of the film’s powerful storytelling. Showing – or explaining – too much would have made the story seem more trivial and self-explanatory. An element that enriches this choice is the presence of his mother, masterfully portrayed by Laia Marull. This wonderfully written, yet relatively minor, character exemplifies the vision of a woman who struggles to understand her role in what happened. The fact that, in too many cases, women feel pressured into unwanted sexual acts simply because they believe it's a normal part of a relationship is a central element of the story. This dynamic is far too often overlooked in films, which tend to focus instead on more overt abuse by strangers or groomers.

Vilà Barceló is returning to Karlovy Vary’s competition with his sixth feature, 13 years after La lapidation de Saint Etienne [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2012), and the result is more than satisfying. The length of the film (around three hours) will make it relatively unappealing to certain audiences, despite the purposeful directorial intention to allow the time for Gaia to go through all of the emotions related to the event. This lack of appeal for the general public is unfortunate, as the feature flows smoothly thanks to its solid technical quality. Its weakest aspect is probably the cinematography by Ciril Barba, which, while still very good overall, occasionally feels a tad flat, or at least not used to its full potential. A lot of the toughest scenes inevitably rest on Hernández’s shoulders, and her acting is remarkable. Even in the strongest outbursts and reactions, the actress manages to be believable in her struggles.

When a River Becomes the Sea was produced by fromzerocinema (Spain). Its world sales are still up for grabs.