Calle Málaga A Film by Maryam Touzani

 

Calle Málaga 

A Film by Maryam Touzani

with Carmen Maura , Marta Etura , Ahmed Boulane & María Alfonsa Rosso

Music Freya Arde

 

Mostra de Venise - Sélection Officielle

Festival International de Toronto - Sélection Officielle

Selection Malaga Festival

                                                                         Spain – France … Cinema

Maria Angeles, a 79-year-old Spanish woman, lives alone in Tangier, Morocco, and enjoys her daily routine. However, her life is turned upside down when her daughter arrives from Madrid to sell the apartment in which she has always lived. Determined to stay, she does everything she can to get her home and her belongings back and, unexpectedly, rediscovers love and sensuality.

Calle Malaga on Spotify

Director’s statement by Maryam Touzani:

Calle Málaga is, above all, a film that celebrates life, even as it emerges from a place of

grief. From the very beginning, I was deeply touched by Freya’s sensitivity and her

instinctive connection to the main character, María Ángeles, and to the story I wanted to

tell. That sense of emotional attunement was essential as we navigated the intentions of

the film together.

Freya’s work as a composer was central to shaping the film’s emotional landscape. When

she began composing, I was struck by the precision and emotional truth of what she

proposed. The score accompanies the inner dialogue of María Ángeles, acting as an inner

voice that reflects her grief and vulnerability, but also her energy, her desire for life, and

her quiet determination to keep moving forward. At times, this voice questions and

challenges her; at others, it simply coexists with her, almost imperceptibly.

Through her music, Freya adds a layer of intimacy that draws us closer to María

Ángeles’s inner world. I imagined a score that would feel as though it naturally

emanated from the character herself—as if she were music, as if her words were notes.

Freya became the film’s inner ear, translating what remains unspoken into sound and

making it tangible.

Calle Malaga on Apple Music

Composer’s statement by Freya Arde:

When Maryam first told me about her film Calle Málaga I was very inspired by the

personal connection she has to the story and the city of Tangiers.

I loved the script so much because it describes María Ángeles as an independent elderly

woman, not a victim. In order to get some inspiration, Maryam sent me some

photographs of the location they were about to shoot in and a beautiful headshot of

Carmen Maura as María Ángeles. Then I began writing the first sketches of the score.

The music has a very soft acoustic instrumentation containing chamber strings, cristal

baschet, vibraphone, piano, and the classical guitar to show a connection to the

protagonists Spanish community. The music puts a spotlight on María Ángeles’

reflection of life such as when she’s alone in her apartment and when she puts roses on

the abandoned graves at the cemetery. Maryam always wanted the music to have depth

and transience, including the love scene. This scene is one of my favorite moments of the

score with the string orchestra getting higher and higher, while staying quiet and fragile

at the same time.

Calle Malaga Ost Fanlinks