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.
It premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2022 ahead of its Golden Biznaga-winning run at the 25th Málaga Film Festival and its 20 May 2022 theatrical release in Spain by BTeam Pictures.
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Premise
After giving birth Amaia returns to her parents' home as her partner is away for some time.
Production
The project underwent development at the ECAM's incubator program. 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. Shooting lasted for 5 weeks and it took place in between Madrid and Biscay (Mundaka and Bakio). In addition to Spanish, it also features Basque- and English-language dialogue.
Release
The film had its world premiere in February 2022, screened as part of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama section. It also screened at the 25th Málaga Film Festival on 20 March 2022 as part of the festival's main competition. Distributed by BTeam Pictures, it was theatrically released in Spain on 20 May 2022.
Reception
Reception
According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Lullaby has a 100% approval rating based on 19 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
Top ten lists
The film appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2022: