The Blind Sunflowers

The Blind Sunflowers (Spanish: Los girasoles ciegos) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by José Luis Cuerda and written by Rafael Azcona and Cuerda, based on the novel The Blind Sunflowers by Alberto Méndez. The film stars Maribel Verdú, Javier Cámara and Raúl Arévalo. The plot follows the life of a family, former sympathizers of the Spanish Republic, during the early 1940s. Their lives are disrupted when a young priest falls in love with the mother. The film is set in Ourense, 1940 where a disorientated deacon, named Salvador returns to the seminary of Ourense where the Rector delays Salvador's access to priesthood for a year. Salvador begins teaching in a school where he meets with Lorenzo, the son of Elena, whom of which Salvador thinks is widowed. This opportunity multiplies with the deacon becoming obsessed with her, abusing her mentally and physically. We realise that Salvador is threatening Elena's family because of his obsession. Wounded and beaten by the circumstances, the characters of the Blind Sunflowers hit the wall of repression, impossible romances and emotional defeats, while we realise Elena's family try to search for a glimpse of hope. This film was Spain's 81st Academy Awards official submission to Foreign Language Film category, but it was not selected.