The Girls Are Alright (Spanish: Las chicas están bien) is a 2023 Spanish drama film written and directed by Itsaso Arana in her directorial debut film. It stars Arana, Bárbara Lennie, Irene Escolar, Itziar Manero, and Helena Ezquerro.

The Girls Are Alright
Theatrical release poster
SpanishLas chicas están bien
Directed byItsaso Arana
Screenplay byItsaso Arana
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySara Gallego
Edited byMarta Velasco
Music by
Production
company
Los ilusos films
Distributed byElastica
Release dates
  • 1 July 2023 (2023-07-01) (Karlovy Vary)
  • 25 August 2023 (2023-08-25) (Spain)
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

Plot

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Set in Summer, the plot follows four actresses and one writer rehearsing a stage play in an old mill.[1][2]

Cast

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Production

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Shooting took place in a mill in Nistal de la Vega, province of León.[1] Sara Gallego lensed the film.[4]

Release

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The film made it to the main slate of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, in the Crystal Globe competition.[5][6] Distributed by Elastica, the film was released theatrically in Spain on 25 August 2023.[7] Filmin scooped video on demand rights to the film.[1] The Girls Are Alright also screened at the 20th Santiago International Film Festival in August 2024.[8]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.40/10.[9]

Wendy Ide of ScreenDaily wrote that "beguiling, tactile and intimate, [The Girls Are Alright] is a delightful film that revels in its femininity".[10]

Guy Lodge of Variety deemed the film to be a "short, sweet, winsome freshman feature".[3]

Irene Crespo of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it to be a "luminous celebration of female friendship".[11]

Top ten lists

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The film also appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2023:

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2024
11th Feroz Awards Best Comedy Film Nominated [15]
38th Goya Awards Best New Director Itsaso Arana Nominated [16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "La actriz Itsaso Arana finaliza el rodaje de 'Las chicas están bien', su debut como directora". naiz. 24 July 2022.
  2. ^ McLennan, Callum (21 February 2023). "'The August Virgin' Star Itsaso Arana's Directorial Debut Swooped on by Bendita Film Sales (Exclusive)". Variety.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lodge, Guy (8 July 2023). "'The Girls Are Alright' Review: A Gentle Study of Female Friendship That Blows in on a Warm Summer Breeze". Variety.
  4. ^ "Itsaso Arana rueda su ópera prima 'Las chicas están bien'". Camera and Light Mag. 21 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Itsaso Arana competirá en el Karlovy Vary con su debut en la dirección, "Las chicas están bien"". EiTB. 30 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Girls Are Alright / Las chicas están bien". kviff.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  7. ^ Oliveira Lizarribar, Ana (3 May 2023). "Itsaso Arana estrenará 'Las chicas están bien', su ópera prima, el próximo 25 de agosto". Noticias de Navarra.
  8. ^ "Documental sobre periodistas mexicanos amenazados por investigar narcopolítica gana festival SANFIC". El Mostrador. 25 August 2024.
  9. ^ "The Girls Are Alright". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  10. ^ Ide, Wendy (6 July 2023). "'The Girls Are Alright': Karlovy Vary Review". ScreenDaily.
  11. ^ Crespo, Irene (23 August 2023). "'Las chicas están bien': una luminosa celebración de la amistad femenina". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  12. ^ "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2023, el año de 'Cerrar los ojos'". El Cultural. 21 December 2023 – via El Español.
  13. ^ Medina, Marta (21 December 2023). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2023: niños robados, sexualidad femenina y monjas, muchas monjas". El Confidencial.
  14. ^ Prieto, Belén; Morillo, Valentina (24 December 2023). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2023". Series & Más – via El Español.
  15. ^ Álvarez Patilla, Diego (27 January 2024). "» Cultura Premios Feroz 2024: '20.000 especies de abejas', 'Robot Dreams' y 'La Mesías' dominan la lista de ganadores". rtve.es.
  16. ^ Hopewell, John (11 February 2024). "Spain's Goya Awards: J.A. Bayona's 'Society of the Snow' Wins Best Picture, Director as Sigourney Weaver Receives an International Goya". Variety.