Two years ago, Javier Giner shook up the Spanish audiovisual landscape with the premiere of his series I, Addict. In it, he adapted his own memoir, recounting with stark, brutal honesty his cocaine addiction and subsequent recovery. Now, he reunites with Oriol Pla and Marina Salas, the leads in the aforementioned series, to make his feature debut with This Solitude, presented in the New Directors section of the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

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The film is the story of a break-up or, to be more precise, the consequences of a break-up. Leo (Pla) and Lorea (Salas) are two young people from Bilbao who have gone their separate ways after loving each other deeply for a long time. We hardly see them together at any point in the film, and yet we are fully aware of how important they have been - and perhaps still are - to one another.

Both are a little adrift in life, partly because of the pain of the split, but most of all because of their frustration at not feeling like they are capable of finding their place in the world. Leo is an actor and hopes to make a living from it, but in the meantime, he has to work as a cashier in a supermarket. Lorea has written a book and would like writing to be her livelihood, but until that happens, she pours drinks in a bar. This is another factor making life feel like an uphill struggle for this former couple, but it is not the only one. Added to that are their complex and intricate family relationships - marked by loss, silence and estrangement - which, although intense and unique to them, are not so different from those that any other human being has to endure.

This Solitude is an emotionally exhaustive portrait; we see all sides of the protagonists and all their rough edges. Perhaps the greatest merit of Giner’s work is his ability to create characters that he clearly cares for deeply, without ever cutting them too much slack. The script, co-written with Luisa Martínez, sketches two human beings who make mistakes, who try to give the best of themselves and who do their utmost not to fall - and who, once the blow lands, will do whatever it takes to get back up again. And in this process, not everything they do and say is pleasant or admirable, but it is recognisable and, if one has a modicum of empathy, very easy to understand.

To all of this we must add the work of the outstanding cast, led by the performances of Pla and Salas, who are deserving of every possible accolade. Giner had already proven himself, in his previous work, to be a fine actors’ director. Now, returning with material further from his own story yet very close to his reality in many respects, he shows that his craftsmanship remains intact. This Solitude confirms him as a fascinating voice that is bound to keep tongues wagging.

This Solitude is a production by Balance Media Entertainment, La embajada TV and Basajaun Filmak. Filmax is handling its international sales.