Islands (2025 Spanish film)
| Islands | |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Islas |
| Directed by | Marina Seresesky |
| Screenplay by | Marina Seresesky |
| Produced by | Frank Ariza |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Kenneth Oribe |
| Edited by | Irene Blecua |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | AF Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Islands (Spanish: Islas)[1] is a 2025 Spanish drama film written and directed by Marina Seresesky. It stars Ana Belén and Manu Vega.
Plot
Amparo, a diva set to commit suicide in a decadent hotel in Tenerife, comes across a 20-year-old man willing to do the same, and after she rescues him, they bond and get to know each other's vulnerabilities.[2][3][4]
Cast
Production
The film was produced by E-media Canary alongside AF Films, Meridional Producciones, Match Point and BTF Media.[3] It was shot in Tenerife.[4]
Release
The film was presented in an out-of-competition official selection slot of the 22nd Seville European Film Festival in November 2025.[6][3] Distributed by AF Pictures,[7] it was released theatrically in Spain on 27 February 2026.
Reception
Alfonso Rivera of Cineuropa wrote that the best thing about the film "lies in watching a radiant, uninhibited Ana Belén morph into a Spanish Norma Desmond, appealing – like Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire – to 'the kindness of strangers'".[3]
Javier Ocaña of El País lamented that Islands "does not go beyond a flawed good idea", while it "lacks freshness and has too much impostured density".[8]
Toni Vall of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, rejoicing with the film return of Ana Belén and welcoming "more films like this, strange, imperfect, with a heartbeat."[9]
Pablo Vázquez of Fotogramas rated Islands 3 out of 5 stars, mentioning the Ana Belén's return as the best thing about the film while citing Vega's somewhat cliché character as the worst thing about it.[10]
Oti Rodríguez Marchante of ABC gave the film a 2-star rating, writing neither Seresesky's direction nor writing ever quite manage "to strike the right balance between comedy and drama".[11]
See also
References
- ^ "Islands [Islas]". Spanish Kaleidoscope. Ministerio de Cultura. 11 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d Úbeda-Portugués, Alberto (23 February 2026). "Los estrenos del 27 de febrero. 'Islas' Amores suicidas". Aisge.
- ^ a b c d Rivera, Alfonso (19 November 2025). "Review: Islas". Cineuropa.
- ^ a b "El hotel de Tenerife donde Ana Belén "se salva": así es 'Islas', la película rodada en la Isla con la que la actriz vuelve al cine". Diario de Avisos. 27 February 2026 – via El Español.
- ^ Xermán, Eloi (27 February 2026). ""Islas": Ana Belén busca la fama y el glamur perdidos". La Razón.
- ^ "RTVE.es estrena el tráiler de 'Islas', el regreso a la gran pantalla de Ana Belén junto a Manu Vega". rtve.es. 9 October 2025.
- ^ "Manu Vega estrena 'Islas', con el doble rol de productor y actor: "Hay que apostar por la producción propia y no por hacer services"". Audiovisual451. 26 February 2026.
- ^ Ocaña, Javier (27 February 2026). "'Islas': la rotundidad de Ana Belén no sostiene el retrato de una diva en decadencia". El País.
- ^ Vall, Toni (25 February 2026). "Crítica de 'Islas': qué gusto volver a ver a Ana Belén en el cine con una película original y viva". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ Vázquez, Pablo (25 February 2026). ""Una obra humana y sincera": La película con la que Ana Belén regresa al cine 10 años después". Fotogramas.
- ^ Rodríguez Marchante, Oti (26 February 2026). "Crítica de 'Islas' (**): Ana Belén reluce y pone lo que falta". ABC.