The screenplays of Moroccan multi-hyphenate Maryam Touzani (“Adam,” “The Blue Caftan”) always start from a personal place. Her latest, “Calle Málaga,” which screens in Venice and Toronto, is set in Tangier. It centers on María Ángeles (Spanish screen legend Carmen Maura), an 80-year-old resident of the titular street, whose bond with her colorful coastal hometown is rich and complex; she’s Spanish while also somehow being Moroccan. The film, a veritable love letter to the city, was inspired by Touzani’s beloved maternal grandmother, a Spaniard who arrived in Morocco during the Spanish protectorate and lived in Tangier all her life.
Touzani was born and spent her youth in Tangier, part of a family that spoke Spanish at home. She reveals that “Calle Málaga” also grew out of the loss of her mother, who died in 2023. “That’s why the film is in Spanish. I needed to hear the language … I needed to continue smelling the Spanish dishes my mother used to cook … Smelling these aromas on set and hearing Spanish again was a way of healing my wounds and transforming my pain.”
Touzani grew up watching her grandmother’s friends, who were part of a large Spanish community, trying to remain in their homes as they aged. All too often their children, now living in Spain, insisted that they come to live there too. The offspring didn’t understand how rooted their parents were in their adopted city. Touzani mirrors this situation in the film where María Ángeles’ Madrileño daughter (Marta Etura) decides to force her out, selling the family home and furniture against her mother’s wishes.
While Touzani didn’t write specifically with Maura in mind, the actress fell in love with her character as soon as she read the script. Touzani notes, “I think María Ángeles is quite similar to her; they both have a joie de vivre, vitality and passion.”
Maura moved to Tangier a few weeks before filming began to get as close as possible to the truth of her character. Although she could have stayed anywhere, she chose an apartment 50 meters from her on-screen home. After dropping off her bags, she disappeared for hours, happily getting lost in the medina. Touzani shares, “Everyone was worried, but she returned delighted by this first authentic encounter.”
Having an almost 80-year-old actor at the heart of the film and in almost every scene could be a huge undertaking, but Touzani says Maura’s vitality amazed her. “She had incredible energy and was always ready to push herself further … I think she has a strength of character that enables her to face and overcome challenges.”
Among the film’s challenges were intimate scenes between María Ángeles and her new beau (Ahmed Boulane), which are sensitively handled. Touzani says, “I spoke at length with my actors beforehand and was completely transparent about the scenes. I asked them if they wanted an intimacy coordinator, but they both refused. There was a sense of trust between us from the outset.”
Touzani’s goal was to portray a different kind of old age, one full of life and dignity and free from the limitations society often imposes. “Through María Ángeles, I wanted to challenge society’s view on aging and the expectations and preconceptions that come with it … In my film, María Ángeles rediscovers her sexuality and enjoys it at an advanced age.”
What is especially striking is the contrast between the relative modesty of what is shown and the scenes of María Ángeles recounting her experiences, with great relish, to her childhood friend Joséfa (María Áfonsa Rosso), now a nun in a silent order. Touzani says, “I believe that imagination is our greatest asset. For me, imagining what María Ángeles experienced through her words and expressions, as well as those of her silent friend Joséfa, is more fulfilling that showing the scenes themselves.”
Touzani’s previous film, “The Blue Caftan,” went on to become the highest-grossing Moroccan film internationally. It looks as if the lively and tender “Calle Málaga” will challenge that record.
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