Al sur de Granada

Plot

Brenan arrives at Yegen on foot, interrupting the funeral held for the daughter of the local cacique. He collapses from dysentery and soon learns that the local cacique, Don Fernando, is leaving for Granada with his wife. Brenan rents Fernando’s house for a year and soon enlists the services of Maria as housekeeper and cook and becomes friends with a local man named Paco. Brenan spends most of his time reading, walking, and trying to write poetry.

His friends Dora Carrington, Lytton Strachey (who is ill), and Ralph Partridge visit for a couple of days. Brenan, who has been maintaining a correspondence with Carrington, learns during the visit that Partridge and Carrington are engaged. He is crushed, as he had been in love with Carrington.

One day, Carrington decides to paint the portrait of a local 16-year-old girl, Juliana. Brenan, who had previously seen Juliana bathing naked in a river, falls in love with her. Paco gives him advice on how to win her heart. Brenan, who is quickly learning Spanish and who is called “Don Geraldo� by the locals, decides to make Juliana jealous by accompanying Angeles, the daughter of Maria, to church. This backfires, as Maria now wishes for Brenan to marry Angeles. Brenan then enlists the services of Juliana as a second housekeeper. Juliana, however, clashes with Maria. Maria believes Juliana and her mother are witches. Maria has a baby: it is Don Fernando’s baby. Brenan is still unable to get close to Juliana and now has two angry women in his home. Maria sends a naked Angeles to Brenan’s bed in order to seduce him, but Brenan refuses to sleep with her. As the women continue to fight, Brenan becomes increasingly frustrated, and finally kicks Maria out of his home (at gunpoint). He and Juliana then finally embark on a relationship. When Ralph Partridge visits again, this time with his new fiancee, Brenan and Juliana join him on a day trip to the beach. Juliana feels that Brenan and Partridge are laughing at her.

When Brenan leaves for Granada with his friends, he fears that Juliana will cheat on him in anger. He asks Paco to watch over her to prevent any of the village boys from seducing her. While Brenan is gone, Paco and Juliana sleep with one another. Brenan is angered when he discovers this, but Juliana convinces him that she still wishes to have Brenan’s child, regardless of whether they are married or not. They resume their relationship and soon Juliana is pregnant. When Brenan is required to return to England temporarily, Juliana fears that he will never return and that she will have to give birth to, and raise, their child alone.

Brenan returns three years later. He is now married to Gamel Woolsey, an American poet. Paco announces he will sell his property to fulfill his dream of immigrating to Buenos Aires. He inquires after Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington. Lytton has died, and Carrington has committed suicide as a result. Juliana’s child, Elena (named after Brenan’s mother Helen) is now three. She reproves Brenan for not returning to Yegen earlier, but in the end allows him to take their child to be educated and looked after.

The film then fast forwards twenty years. An older Juliana runs into Brenan, Gamel, and a teenaged Elena outside of a pastry shop. Brenan begins to introduce Juliana as Elena’s real mother, but Juliana cuts him off and introduces herself to Elena as Brenan’s former housekeeper at Yegen. Brenan and Juliana part ways rather quickly but catch each other glancing over their shoulders and share a smile.

Cast

Critical reception

It was nominated for eleven Goya Awards in 2003 and won one (Mejor musica original) for Juan Bardems score.