La maternal

What does it mean to be a mother, or a child? Age 14, Carla is both. A wild child living with a toxic single mother, Carla is shocked to discover she is at least five months pregnant. Transferred to a Barcelona ‘maternal’, a shelter for young mothers at risk of social exclusion, she meets other teens in the same situation, taking care of their babies with the help of social workers.

At first hermetic and distrustful, Carla makes uneven progress as she learns to be a parent while yearning to be a child again. Afraid of being as bad a mother as her own, little by little she understands her mum’s struggles, and motherhood eventually brings them both together.

Following the international success of Schoolgirls (Las Niñas, ¡Viva! 2021), award-winning director Pilar Palomero is back with a sensitive and heart-breaking journey into teenage parenthood, exhibiting her talent for honest and non-judgmental storytelling.

Event/ The screening on Tue 14 Mar will be introduced by Dr Abigail Loxham, University of Liverpool.