La lengua de las mariposas

A reference film in the filmography of director José Luis Cuerda, this adaptation of several short stories by writer Manuel Rivas allowed to recover the renovating and open-minded spirit of the republican school, embodied by an old teacher played by Fernando Fernán-Gómez. The setting of this story in Galicia, the writer's homeland, is usual in Cuerda's work in titles such as “El bosque animado” or the later “La educación de las hadas”, and links his style with a naturalistic philosophy that is very appropriate for the precepts that the main teacher seeks to instill in his students. Synopsis: In 1936, Don Gregorio teaches Moncho with dedication and patience all his wisdom regarding knowledge, literature, nature and even women. But the undercurrent of political threat will always remain, especially when don Gregorio is attacked for being considered an enemy of the fascist regime. Thus a rift will open between these two friends, brought by the force of the context that surrounds them.