Alone
A pregnant cleaner, her caring mother, and a withdrawn neighbor form a fragile refuge from poverty, abandonment, and patriarchal control.
Overview
Three lost souls find unexpected strength in each other amidst life's struggles.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- bleak
- intimate
- melancholic
- reflective evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, compassionate social drama distinguished by its performances and humane portrayal of marginalization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
María works as a cleaner, lives in a shabby apartment, and faces pregnancy after abandonment.
María, her mother, and the reclusive neighbor gradually give one another strength to begin again.
The film presents urban deprivation, authoritarian family dynamics, and working class survival in contemporary Spain.
María leaves her authoritarian father and struggles to establish autonomy while pregnant and abandoned.
Films like Alone, and why
Rosetta
social realism, economically marginalized characters, and compassionate human connection
The Magdalene Sisters
intimate working class drama centered on female resilience and family pressure
Secrets & Lies
quietly devastating domestic realism and solidarity among isolated people
Take My Eyes
Spanish social drama combining familial trauma, poverty, and emotional renewal
Movie Details
- Director
- Benito Zambrano
- Release Date
- 1999-03-05
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (56)
Cast
- María Galiana
- Ana Fernández
- Carlos Álvarez-Nóvoa
- Juan Fernández
- Antonio Dechent
- Miguel Alcíbar
- Concha Galán
- Paco Tous
- José Manuel Seda
- Sebastián Haro
Common questions
- What is Alone about?
- A pregnant cleaner, her caring mother, and a withdrawn neighbor form a fragile refuge from poverty, abandonment, and patriarchal control.
- What is Alone like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Alone as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Alone violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Alone as mild.
- What did critics think of Alone?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a powerful, compassionate social drama distinguished by its performances and humane portrayal of marginalization.
- Which films are like Alone?
- Films with a similar feel include Rosetta, The Magdalene Sisters, Secrets & Lies, and Take My Eyes.
- How long is Alone?
- Alone runs 101 minutes.
