April, 1940. Manolo, 16 years old, and Jesus, who is just 8, are taken by their older brother Pepe, a lieutenant in the Army, to a sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis, situated on the border with Portugal. Once in the sanatorium, Manolo, surrounded by boys all much younger than he is, feels a bit like the cock of the walk since the only other man around is the handyman Emilio who looks after the gardens and does whatever needs to be done about the place. His wife, Rafaela, is the cook. Manolo meets Irene, a falangist who runs the sanatorium, and the school teacher, Miss Transito, a crabby spinster. He has his first sexual experience, albeit as a voyeur, with his nurse Vicenta. When she has to leave, her place is taken by a girl from the village, Maria Jesus, with whom Manolo falls hopelessly in love. A relationship grows up between them which will mark them both for ever.
Directing | Fernando Trueba | Director |
Writing | Manuel Huete | Story |
Writing | Rafael Azcona | Writer |
Writing | Fernando Trueba | Writer |
Art | Luis Argüello | Art Direction |
Production | Juan Botella | Assistant Production Manager |
Camera | Juan Amorós | Camera Operator |
Art | Josep Rosell i Palau | Production Design |
Camera | Alfredo Díaz | Key Grip |
Costume & Make-Up | Lala Huete | Assistant Costume Designer |
Art | Juan de la Flor | Property Master |
Directing | Carmen Martínez Rebé | Second Assistant Director |
Costume & Make-Up | Peris | Wardrobe Master |
Crew | Ángel Megino | Transportation Coordinator |
Editing | Carmen Frías | Editor |
Camera | Enrique Arias | Second Assistant Camera |
Directing | Marisa Ibarra | Script Supervisor |
Camera | Juan Amorós | Director of Photography |
Costume & Make-Up | Juan Pedro Hernández | Makeup Artist |
Sound | Alfonso Pino | Sound Mixer |
Directing | Eusebio Graciani | Assistant Director |
Costume & Make-Up | María Teresa García Trueba | Wardrobe Master |
Sound | Luis Castro | Sound Effects |
Sound | Antonio «Mármol» Rodríguez | Sound Recordist |
Production | Cristina Huete | Production Manager |
Lighting | Francisco Durán | Electrician |
Camera | Ángel Gómez Martín | Grip |
Editing | Benjamín Garrido | Assistant Editor |
Costume & Make-Up | Luis Argüello | Costume Design |
Costume & Make-Up | Teresa Matías | Hairstylist |
Sound | Jean-Claude Laureux | Sound |
Lighting | Rafael García Martos | Gaffer |
Production | Alfonso Jadraque | Location Manager |
Sound | Francisco Guerrero | Music |
Art | Ramón Moya | Settings |
Crew | Juan Sánchez | Special Effects |
Camera | Joaquín Manchado | Assistant Camera |
Sound | Ángel Muñoz Alonso | Music Consultant |
Production | Andrés Vicente Gómez | Producer |
Production | Jaime Botella | Assistant Production Manager |
Art | Luciano Romero | Assistant Property Master |
Production | Juan de la Flor | Unit Production Manager |
Crew | Fernando Fernández | Generator Operator |
Art | Agustín Alcázar | Props |
Costume & Make-Up | Jorge Hernández Lobo | Assistant Makeup Artist |
Production | Esther García | Assistant Production Manager |
Sound | Gilles Ortion | Boom Operator |
Lighting | Rafael Castro | Electrician |
Editing | Pablo Blanco | Assistant Editor |