Lullaby (2022 film)

Lullaby (Spanish: Cinco lobitos, lit. 'Five Wolf Cubs') is a 2022 Spanish drama film written and directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. It stars Laia Costa and Susi Sánchez alongside Ramón Barea and Mikel Bustamante.

Lullaby
Theatrical release poster
Spanish	Cinco lobitos
Directed by	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
Written by	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
Produced by	Manu Calvo Nahikari Ipiña Marisa Fernández Armenteros
Starring	Laia Costa Susi Sánchez Ramón Barea Mikel Bustamante
Cinematography	Jon D. Domínguez
Edited by	Andrés Gil
Music by	Aránzazu Calleja
Production companies	Encanta Films Sayaka Producciones Buenapinta Media
Distributed by	BTeam Pictures
Release dates	11 February 2022 (2022-02-11) (Berlinale) 20 May 2022 (2022-05-20) (Spain)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	Spain
Languages	Spanish Basque English

Premise

After giving birth Amaia returns to her parents' home as her partner is away for some time.^[1]

Cast

• Laia Costa as Amaia^[2]
• Mikel Bustamante [es] as Javi^[2]
• Susi Sánchez as Begoña^[2]
• Ramón Barea as Koldo^[2]

Production

The project underwent development at the ECAM's incubator program.^[3] The film was produced by Encanta Films, Sayaka Producciones and BuenaPinta Media, and it had the participation of RTVE, EiTB and Orange and funding from ICAA, the Basque Government, the Madrid regional administration and Crea SGR.^[4] Shooting lasted for 5 weeks and it took place in between Madrid and Biscay (Mundaka and Bakio).^[5] In addition to Spanish, it also features Basque- and English-language dialogue.^[6]

Release

The film had its world premiere in February 2022, screened as part of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama section.^[7] It also screened at the 25th Málaga Film Festival on 20 March 2022 as part of the festival's main competition.^[8] Distributed by BTeam Pictures, it was theatrically released in Spain on 20 May 2022.^[4]

Reception

Critical reception

According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Lullaby has a 100% approval rating based on 16 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 8.1/10.^[9]

Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily presented the film as an "absorbing mother-daughter drama set on the Basque coast", deeming it to be strongest "in the subtle and compassionate characterisation of its women".^[2]

Pere Vall of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting the "absence of broad-brush" and the "duel/deal" between the "grandiose" Laia Costa and Susi Sánchez.^[10]

Irene Crespo of Cinemanía also gave it 4 out of 5 stars, summarizing the film as "a brilliant and emotional debut beyond motherhood" in her verdict.^[11]

Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar called the film "undoubtedly the best debut in Spanish cinema for years", expressing the mother-daughter relationship as "a portrait of the role of women within the family, which is truthful, devoid of sentimentality and that does not exclude humor" and highlighting the performance of Laia Costa.^[3]

In August 2022, the members of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain selected Lullaby in their shortlist of three pre-selections for their submission to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film alongside Alcarràs and The Beasts.^[12]

Top ten lists

The film appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2022:

• 2nd — El Español ('Series&más' critics)^[13]
• 3rd — Vanity Fair (Juan Sanguino & Paloma Rando)^[14]
• 5th — Cadena SER ('El cine en la SER' critics)^[15]
• 5th — El Cultural (Begoña Donat)^[16]
• 5th — El Confidencial (Marta Medina)^[17]
• 6th — El Cultural (Carlos Heredero)^[16]
• 6th — ABC (Oti Rodríguez Marchante)^[18]
• 7th — El Mundo (Luis Martínez)^[19]
• 8th — El Cultural (Carlos Reviriego)^[16]
• 8th — El Cultural (Javier Yuste)^[16]
• 8th — El Periódico de Catalunya (critics)^[20]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2022	25th Málaga Film Festival	Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film		Won	[21]
		Best Actress	Laia Costa & Susi Sánchez	Won
		Best Screenplay	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Won
		Audience Choice Award		Won	[22]
	28th Forqué Awards	Best Film		Nominated	[23][24]
		Best Film Actress	Laia Costa	Won
			Susi Sánchez	Nominated
		Cinema and Education in Values		Won
2023	15th Gaudí Awards	Best European Film		Won	[25]
	10th Feroz Awards	Best Drama Film		Nominated	[26]
		Best Director	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Won
		Best Actress in a Film	Laia Costa	Won
		Best Supporting Actress in a Film	Susi Sánchez	Won
		Best Supporting Actor in a Film	Ramón Barea	Nominated
		Best Soundtrack	Aránzazu Calleja	Nominated
	2nd Carmen Awards	Best Non-Andalusian Film		Nominated	[27][28]
	78th CEC Medals	Best Film		Nominated	[29]
		Best New Director	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Won
		Best Actress	Laia Costa	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Susi Sánchez	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Ramón Barea	Nominated
		Best New Actor	Mikel Bustamante	Nominated
		Best Original Screenplay	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Jon D. Domínguez	Nominated
		Best Editing	Andrés Gil	Nominated
	37th Goya Awards	Best Film		Nominated	[30][31]
		Best New Director	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Won
		Best Original Screenplay	Alauda Ruiz de Azúa	Nominated
		Best Actress	Laia Costa	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Susi Sánchez	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Ramón Barea	Nominated
		Best New Actor	Mikel Bustamante	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Jon D. Domínguez	Nominated
		Best Editing	Andrés Gil	Nominated
		Best Sound	Asier González, Eva de la Fuente López, Roberto Fernández	Nominated
		Best Production Supervision	María José Díez	Nominated
	31st Actors and Actresses Union Awards	Best Film Actress in a Leading Role	Laia Costa	Won	[32][33]
		Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role	Susi Sánchez	Won
		Best Film Actor in a Minor Role	Ramón Barea	Won
		Best New Actor	Mikel Bustamante	Nominated
	10th Platino Awards	Best Actress	Laia Costa	Won	[34][35]
		Best Supporting Actress	Susi Sánchez	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Ramón Barea	Nominated
		Best Original Score	Aránzazu Calleja	Nominated
		Best Ibero-American Debut Film		Nominated
		Cinema and Values Education		Nominated

See also

• List of Spanish films of 2022

References

1. Garuz, Elena (11 February 2022). "La intimista "Cinco lobitos" abre la participación española en la Berlinale". Swissinfo.
2. Holland, Jonathan (20 March 2022). "'Lullaby': Malaga Review". ScreenDaily.
3. Mayorga, Emilio (28 May 2022). "Pedro Almodovar Endorses Alauda Ruiz De Azua's 'Lullaby': 'It's the Best Spanish Debut For Years' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
4. "'Cinco lobitos', una película milagro". Audiovisual451. 16 March 2022.
5. "Finaliza en Bakio el rodaje de 'Cinco lobitos', la ópera prima de Alauda Ruiz de Azúa". Deia. 11 August 2021.
6. "Cinco lobitos / Lullaby". San Sebastián International Film Festival. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
7. Sánchez, Nacho (26 March 2022). "'Cinco lobitos', un retrato de la maternidad, triunfa en el festival de cine de Málaga". El País.
8. "'Cinco lobitos' ahonda en la maternidad y las relaciones familiares en el 25 Festival de Cine de Málaga". Europa Press. 20 March 2022.
9. Lullaby, retrieved 8 August 2023
10. Vall, Pere (19 May 2022). "Crítica de 'Cinco lobitos', la gran triunfadora del Festival de Málaga". Fotogramas.
11. Crespo, Irene (18 May 2022). "Crítica de 'Cinco lobitos'". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
12. Belinchón, Gregorio (25 August 2022). "'Alcarràs', 'Cinco lobitos' y 'As bestas', preseleccionadas por España para el Oscar". El País.
13. Mantilla, Daniel. "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022". Series & Más – via El Español.
14. Sanguino, Juan; Rando, Paloma (28 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022". Vanity Fair.
15. Blanes, P; Romero, J.; Castro, E. (23 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022 en un año espectacular para nuestro cine". Cadena SER.
16. "Cine: las votaciones de nuestros críticos 2022". El Cultural. 20 December 2022 – via El Confidencial.
17. Medina, Marta (15 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022: el año más bestia del siglo XXI". El Confidencial.
18. Rodríguez Marchante, Oti (27 December 2022). "Las diez mejores películas españolas de 2022, un año de cine sobresaliente". ABC.
19. Martínez, Luis (18 December 2022). "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de 2022". El Mundo.
20. "Las 10 mejores películas españolas de un 2022 para la historia". El Periódico de Catalunya. 19 December 2022.
21. "'Cinco lobitos' y sus actrices triunfan en el Festival de Málaga 2022". Cinemanía. 26 March 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
22. ""Cinco lobitos", una bebé que llega con cuatro Biznagas debajo del brazo". eldiario.es. 27 March 2022.
23. "Alcarràs', 'Cinco lobitos', 'As bestas' y 'Modelo 77', finalistas en los Premios Forqué". rtve.es. 7 November 2022.
24. "'As bestas' triunfa en los Forqué y pone al rojo vivo la lucha por los Goya". rtve.es. 17 December 2022.
25. "En directe | Premis Gaudí: "Alcarràs" i "Un año, una noche", les més nominades de la nit". 3/24. 22 January 2023.
26. Gualda, Lucía (29 January 2023). "Premios Feroz, en directo: los premiados a mejor película, mejor serie y mejor actriz y actor protagonistas". Vanitatis – via El Confidencial.
27. Martínez, Evaristo (14 December 2022). "'Controverso' opta a dos Carmen, que anuncian sus candidatos desde Almería". La Voz de Almería.
28. "Modelo 77 triunfa en los Carmen: Así ha quedado el palmarés". Ideal. Grupo Vocento. 5 February 2023.
29. "'As bestas' y 'Cinco lobitos', las más nominadas a las Medallas CEC". Cine con Ñ. 15 December 2022.
30. "'As bestas' es la favorita de los Premios Goya del relevo generacional: listado de nominaciones". Cinemanía. 1 December 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
31. Hopewell, John; Sandoval, Pablo (11 February 2023). "Rodrigo Sorogoyen's 'The Beasts' Sweeps Spain's Goya Awards". Variety.
32. Aller, María (31 January 2023). "Premios Unión de Actores 2023: conoce a los nominados de la XXXI edición". Fotogramas.
33. "Las películas 'As Bestas' y 'Cinco lobitos' triunfan con tres premios cada una en la gala de la Unión de Actores". RTVE (in Spanish). 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
34. Rosado, Ricardo (9 March 2023). "PREMIOS PLATINO 2023: 'ARGENTINA, 1985' ENCABEZA LAS NOMINACIONES DE LA X EDICIÓN". Fotogramas (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 March 2023.
35. Sandoval, Pablo; Hopewell, John (22 April 2023). "Platino Awards Crown 'Argentina, 1985,' 'News of a Kidnapping' – and Amazon Studios, Prime Video". Variety. Retrieved 22 April 2023.

External links

• Lullaby at IMDb