solas be a story that mirror the life a mother and her daughter maría have a both have abusive relationship . when maría father be in hospital her mother stay with her daughter in seville and meet a man ( vecino ) of her own age in the apartment block . maría friend be only interested in the sexual part of their relation and immediately insist on have an abortion when he find out she pregnant . mother and daughter now have to make important decision about their future . the movie have a bleak and depress atmosphere represent maría have an alcohol addiction and she become jobless after work a a cleaning lady and hospital scene with maría not too friendly father and seville have never look worse . also most color scheme be rather dark and except for the hall in the apartment block and vecino apartment a it be there that consolation be find by both woman . the theme of abusive relationship be nowadays hot in spanish cinema with the recent ( and more centered ) te doy mi ojos . the andalusian dialect be well do here a many people learn to speak spanish will have trouble understand part of the movie . some symbolism be use in this movie represent vecino dog ( loyalty but also guardian ) be use to remind u of the disloyalty towards the father the mother experience when she meet vecino . maría and her father sniffing on people and also demand dog like loyalty . vecino fish be fresh at first and but be later in the freezer and a be the possibility of a relationship between vecino and the mother . and mind the name of our main protagonist maría in relation to her story while her mother and father have no name in the movie while the mother play by maría galiana . the main message seem to be that nobody can be happy alone and although the irony be of course that all be alone ( or lonely ) because of one abusive relationship . solas tell it story in a very slow pace and maybe to let u experience how slowly time flow for these unfortunate people . it style be rather distant and so expect no cheap sentiment here . in the end the movie make a time leap and but it feel a if that end be rush to leave the theater in a more uplifted mood . also the end feel contrive in a way . the same often happen with mike leigh movie while take all or nothing for instance and a movie and director where solas have more in common with than meet the eye . the director benito zambrano have good storytelling skill and but lack visual imagination when it come to the medium of film . a he be also unable to structure the story in an interesting way and he be certainly no match for pedro almodóvar who have good visual skill and have learn how to structure a story . i guess zambrano would be a far well writer than director . solas be an interesting failure and one of the first spanish movie in a long row i dislike somewhat . but that also a little reassuring from the country that by now make the most interesting movie in europe .