Spanish film delves into dynamics of abusive relationships

AMMAN — “Have you ever tried, just once to see my side?” Angela asks the man she is torturing.  

But there had been a time when life with Joaquín was not full of violence.

Spanish film “Solo Mia” takes a closer look at life in an abusive relationship, following Angela, the receptionist who fell for her boss Joaquín, as love at first sight turns into a happy marriage but quickly devolves into violence.

The abuse starts when Angela gets pregnant, with her husband forcing her to quit smoking and work. What starts as a slap in reaction to seeing his wife smoke behind his back, becomes a recurrent habit for Joaquín that continues even after the baby is born.

The 100-minute film, whose title translates into “Only Mine”, also explores life after separation for Angela, who finds that laws are not fair to women, having filed lawsuits against Joaquín to no avail. 

The 2001 movie, which earned several awards and nominations for the two leads Sergi López and Paz Vega, was screened late Wednesday at the Rainbow Theatre in cooperation with the Spanish embassy in Amman, Instituto Cervantes, the Royal Film Commission and UN Women as part of Women’s Film Week.

The event, held on the occasion of International Women’s Day, concluded Thursday with the 2013 German film “Westen”.

Despite the many gains women have made in education, health and even political power in the course of a generation, violence against women and girls worldwide “persists at alarmingly high levels”, according to an analysis UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to present to the General Assembly next Monday.

According to a UN statement sent to The Jordan Times this week, some 35 per cent of women worldwide — more than one in three — said they had experienced physical violence in their lifetime. 

One in 10 girls under the age of 18 was forced to have sex, the statement said.