Alegría

US Premiere

Set in Melilla, an autonomous city of Spain situated on the north coast of Africa, this heartfelt family drama centers around Alegría (Cecilia Suárez from Nora’s Will and La casa de las flores) and the varied relationships with the women in her orbit. Using the excuse of a wedding (arranged within the Sephardic community), Alegría returns to her native Melilla, a city where the three Mediterranean cultures converge — Christian, Jewish, and Muslim — and where she finally is able to reunite with her daughter whom she hasn’t seen for years. The women of Alegría paint a mural of strength, love, courage, compassion, and trust, and at last show their bond is unbounded, finding the self in selflessness. A bright comedy about multiculturalism, Alegría is a luminous and surprising story that draws from the director’s own experiences growing up in Melilla. It plays as an homage to a city whose vivid contrasts and blended culture perfectly reflects the contour of the characters’ interconnected dramas.