My Dearest Senorita

My Dearest Senorita
Spanish film poster
Spanish	Mi querida señorita
Directed by	Jaime de Armiñán
Written by	José Luis Borau Jaime de Armiñán
Produced by	Luis Megino
Starring	José Luis López Vázquez Julieta Serrano Antonio Ferrandis
Cinematography	Luis Cuadrado
Edited by	Ana Romero Marchent
Music by	Rafael Ferro
Release date	17 February 1972 (1972-02-17)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

My Dearest Senorita (Spanish: Mi querida señorita) is a 1972 Spanish film directed by Jaime de Armiñán. A romantic drama on the subject of sex change and intersexualism, it was the first Spanish film that talked about sexual orientation, which was a taboo subject in Spain during Franco's regime. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 45th Academy Awards.

The film was released by In Cine, the Spanish division of Cinerama Releasing.

Plot

Adela, a 43-year-old spinster who lives alone in an isolated northern provincial Spanish village, spends her days sewing and doing charity work. Never feeling particularly attracted to men, she is waited upon in her home by her faithful maid, Isabel (whom she affectionately calls Isabelita), who adores her.

One day, the local bank manager starts to court Adela and sets his sights on marriage. Repulsed by his physical overtures, Adela consults the local priest and confesses that, while she has never been physical with a woman, she feels "embarrassed" around them. On his advice, she resolves to consult a doctor. After a row, Adela fires Isabel. Upon seeing her doctor, Adela is informed that she is not a woman after all but a man. The former Adela moves to Madrid and takes on a new masculine identity, "Juan".

After trying to obtain income with no identity card, Juan runs into Isabel, working as a waitress in a local coffee shop. Soon, Juan begins using his sewing skills (the only skill he has) to bring in a small income and enable him to obtain a work permit. Eventually, he falls in love with Isabel, who reciprocates his feelings. However, out of fear, he resists consummating their relationship. Finally, they successfully make love; afterwards, he says that one day he will tell her something "very important." Isabelita surprises him by responding, "There is no need, señorita," showing that she already knew his secret.

Cast

• José Luis López Vázquez as Adela Castro Molina / Juan
• Julieta Serrano as Isabelita
• Antonio Ferrandis as Santiago
• Enrique Ávila as Father José María
• Lola Gaos as Aunt Chus
• Chus Lampreave as Chus' niece
• Mónica Randall as Feli
• José Luis Borau as Doctor

Reception

The film attracted international attention and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1973. The previous year, José Luis López Vázquez won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actor at the Chicago International Film Festival.

See also

• List of submissions to the 45th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Spanish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Notes

• Director Jaime de Armiñán and actress Julieta Serrano speak about film at 35 mm de cine español
• Schwartz, Ronald, The Great Spanish Films: 1950- 1990,Scarecrow Press, London, 1991, ISBN 0-8108-2488-4

External links

• Mi querida señorita at IMDb