Family history, the story of a memory search, the meeting point where dreams of revamping a Spanish school became the failed utopia of so many lives, Josefina Aldecua’s novel adaptation returns to the world of… … A theater with a show in which the scenographic resources and ambition of the project shine. In fact, this story of a teacher is a fascinating production that is not only purely autobiographical (Life of Josefina Aldekoa’s motherInstead, he tries to reflect the atmosphere of a country through education and the crossroads to which his political and religious paranoia led him.
Eleven actors portray this life moving on the edge of danger, in the time of the Second Republic and the Civil War, a time when many dreams struggled not to turn into nightmares. Here, in this letter to the mother, appear the problems of education in Spain’s deep rural areas, the revolutions and their tragedies, the colonial mystique, masculinity, love, motherhood, and above all, the making of life transformative.
The work becomes a historical fresco that does not lose its pulse at any time, that knows how to create an atmosphere and introduce the viewer to this swarm of emotions and short circuits that have been our most recent history. The dialogue between Intimacy and history It is presented efficiently, but sometimes it drags on too long and loses its sharpness.
Josefina Aldekoa, played by Manuela Velascoa solid character, needs to rebuild his memory, but is somewhat lost throughout the work. And it’s unfortunate that every time the show intervenes, the show wins: there is in Manuela Velasco a very subtle way of presenting her need for answers, of going to the origins, of trying to understand her mother as a being who placed freedom above all else, and how her example was decisive when it came to shaping her own identity. Julia RubioHowever, the interpretation of Gabriella, Josefina Aldekoa’s mother, is sometimes too exaggerated, and the layers of her actress are seen too much, causing the work to lose its dramatic impact, distancing itself and spoiling moments of intensity.
Beyond these details, “A Teacher’s Story” returns to continue the movement to teach the power of the profession. It’s a beautiful love letter to a daughter she doesn’t want to forget.