Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- somber
- harrowing
- intimate
- historical cinema night
- serious drama viewing
What critics said
Critics and viewers broadly value the film’s powerful historical story and the impressive performances of Inma Cuesta and María León.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hortensia and Pepita navigate imprisonment, underground organizing, and state violence as republican women after the civil war.
Pepita’s efforts to protect Hortensia and assist the guerrilla movement are driven by their intimate sibling bond.
The story takes place in Madrid after the Spanish Civil War during the beginning of Francoist dictatorship.
Hortensia is captured while pregnant and forced to give birth inside jail, making reproduction part of the film’s political conflict.
Films like The Sleeping Voice, and why
The Official Story
shared postwar political repression, intimate female-centered drama, and historical trauma
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo
shared focus on women enduring authoritarian violence and the emotional aftermath of civil conflict
Land and Freedom
shared historical drama, resistance themes, and tragic personal costs under dictatorship
Movie Details
- Director
- Benito Zambrano
- Release Date
- 2011-10-21
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (106)
Cast
- Inma Cuesta
- María León
- Marc Clotet
- Daniel Holguín
- Ana Wagener
- Susi Sánchez
- Berta Ojea
- Lola Casamayor
- Ángela Cremonte
- Amparo Vega-León
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Sleeping Voice about?
- Two sisters confront imprisonment, clandestine resistance, and the machinery of Francoist repression in postwar Madrid.
- What is The Sleeping Voice like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Sleeping Voice as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Sleeping Voice violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Sleeping Voice as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Sleeping Voice?
- Critics and viewers broadly value the film’s powerful historical story and the impressive performances of Inma Cuesta and María León.
- Which films are like The Sleeping Voice?
- Films with a similar feel include The Official Story, Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, and Land and Freedom.
- How long is The Sleeping Voice?
- The Sleeping Voice runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Sleeping Voice?
- In United States, The Sleeping Voice is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
