Critic Reviews

There are some heart-tugging scenes, but overall, this is the cinematic equivalent of a blissful weekend at the spa, a relaxing respite from the stressful news cycles of our times.

The viewer might think, Ah, it’s going to be one of those films where the hero’s resistance softens as she meets a quirky collection of fellow residents. It is not. The Moroccan director Maryam Touzani and her husband, Nabil Ayouch (“The Blue Caftan”), who wrote the script with her, have something more delicate in mind.

The movie is a sweet star showcase that belongs unequivocally to the incandescent Maura, whose earthy naturalness, sly humor and tenacious spirit feed a direct link back to her Almodóvarian glory days.

The world of Calle Málaga is small. It takes place on a simple street in a simple town where everyone knows everyone else. Everyone is cordial and competitive at the same time, as the film focuses on the place we call home and how leaving can be a bitter pill to take. In the end, this family drama hits you in the feels like a warm cup of cocoa before turning in for the night.

The film takes a situation that could be milked for wrenching drama and outrage, an elderly woman whose daughter tries to sell her mother’s longtime home out from under her, and treats it with lightness and charm.

Touzani’s “Calle Málaga” is a reminder to savor the days we have in the places and communities we hold dear.

The character study being forged remains passionately vibrant, and Maura’s performance serves as the guiding light that makes this effort worthwhile. She is undoubtedly the film’s greatest asset, and it’s worth seeking out just to watch her brilliant work.

It’s the most prominent and devoted leading showcase Maura has had in years, and one she carries with her invaluable brand of internally illuminated, can’t-be-taught charisma.

Approaching the glum realities of aging with an often deft and even lightly comical tone, the Spanish-language film Calle Málaga is a pleasing character study of an elderly lady who is more resourceful than she appears.

Touzani, an unfussy, patient director with a fondness for the simplicity of human interaction, implicitly trusts her star to carry the film’s effervescence and complexity, although you may wish the filmmaking was a little less straightforward.