Belén Funes’s cinema: strength and tenderness of marginal stories

Abstract

In her works, Sara on the Run and A Thief's Daughter, Belén Funes demonstrates socially committed cinema without resorting to a progressist pamphlet. Her stories feature a young female protagonist, whom she films with a closely-following camera. Despite facing adversity and precariousness, the characters do not elicit pity or complacency. They are independent and move forward, surrounding themselves with good people, without idealizing poverty or presenting a magical solution that alters their situation.
Belén Funes belongs to a new generation of authors from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and Europe, including Clara Roquet, Roser Aguilar, Elena Martín, Carla Simón, and Justine Triet. They tell stories of autonomous women, who deal with real problems in urban centers and rural environments, from a feminist perspective, but who are also seen by the male audience. Her next work is set in the olive trees of Jaén, from where the inhabitants, as in the city, are also expelled.