Mother

2017 0h 18m ES

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 88

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An everyday conversation between Marta and her mother turns into a tragic race against the clock when Marta receives a phone call from Iván, her six-year-old son, who is on holiday in France with his father.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Marta Nieto
Elena
Álvaro Balas
Iván (voice)
Blanca Apilánez
Marta's Mother
Miriam Correa
Police Officer (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Writers: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Languages: French, Spanish
Countries: Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 18-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, shot by Alejandro de Pablo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Olivier Arson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alberto del Campo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marta Nieto and Álvaro Balas and Blanca Apilánez carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rodrigo Sorogoyen directs. Alejandro de Pablo behind the camera. Olivier Arson scores. Alberto del Campo cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Spain. Dialogue in French, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 18-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Spanish.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, shot by Alejandro de Pablo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Olivier Arson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Alberto del Campo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Marta Nieto and Álvaro Balas and Blanca Apilánez carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt6597824 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alejandro de Pablo
Original score: Olivier Arson
Editing: Alberto del Campo
Runtime: 18 min · 0h 18m
Status: Released
Original language: ES
IMDB: Mother (2017)

Also by

Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-02-13
★ 7/10
There’s often an overuse of the telephone to create drama in films, but this short feature uses the intensity of a series of conversations to really good effect. “Elena” (Marta Nieto) and her mum (Blanca Apilánez) are putting away the shopping when she gets a call. It turns out to be her young son, who is on holiday in France with his dad but who has now found himself all alone on the beach. Becoming increasingly frantic, she talks to the lad whilst her mother tag-teams on another phone trying to find the father, calling the police and helping to keep the boy calm as the general level of freneticism rises degree by degree into little short of panic. It all takes place in a large apartment with both characters frequently in shot at the same time, reacting quite differently, and at the end, well… There are two convincing performances for us here, and I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t get any parent sitting slightly less comfortably in their chair as they watch.

Production companies