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Spanish matriarch Julia had three childhood wishes: to have lots of kids, a monkey and a castle. Yet when the financial crash hits, she must adapt to a new way of life in this affectionate and often hilarious docu-portrait.
“A film that overflows with affection, warmth and humor” – Variety
80-year-old Spanish matriarch Julieta Salmerón had her three childhood wishes granted: she had lots of kids, she owned a monkey and she lived in a castle. Her life was as she had always dreamed – and then the financial crash hit.
When Julieta’s bank declared it would repossess her castle, her children returned to help clear out her possessions and discovered everything their mother had hoarded over the years: the unopened gifts, the collection of broken umbrellas and the mysterious story behind of a missing pair of vertebrae. As they dismantle her home, Julieta’s son Gustavo picks up his camera and begins to capture his mother as she voices her (frequently contradictory) concerns about the move.
Interweaving his observational footage with a rich archive of home movies and photographs, director Gustavo Salmerón’s award-winning documentary transforms the frequently hilarious anecdotes of an eccentric old woman into a universal story about life, death, loss and laughter.