Yerma

Director: Pilar Távora
(1999)

Based on Federico Garcia Lorca’s play “Blood Wedding,” this Spanish film about a childless married woman who desperately longs for a baby in order to become what she believes is a complete woman seems a bit like a really bad Spanish soap opera when transferred to the big screen. However, when viewed with American eyes, it could be due to the anti-feminism, culture clash, the incessant female gossips and rants about childless women not being "true" women. Yerma played by Aitana Sanchez-Gijon (who viewers remember from her seductive romp in the grapes with Keanu Reeves in A Walk in the Clouds), manages to keep viewers watching due to her charisma and awe-inspiring beauty but we're so far removed from the plight that everything is kept at arm's length.