"También La Lluvia": Film Analysis

• "También La Lluvia" is a film directed by Spanish director Icíar Bollaín (1967-...).
• The screenplay was written by her husband, Paul Laverty, who is French.
• The film was released in 2010 and was a joint production of Spain, France and Bolivia.
• "También La Lluvia" was selected to represent Spain at the 2010 Oscars.
• There is a connection between the Conquest of America (1492-) and the Water War (2000).
• Colonial refers to a territory dominated and administered by a foreign power.
• Aníbal Quijano, a Peruvian thinker and sociologist defines coloniality as the persistence of colonial structures beyond formal colonialism.

Definitions of Important Terms

• Cabildo refers to the municipal institution in colonial America that regulated urban life, administered justice, and played a key role in independence.
• Bourbon Reforms were administrative changes in the 18th century that strengthened Spanish control over its colonies, generating tensions and leading to independence movements.
• Criollos were descendants of Europeans born in America with economic power but excluded from high political office, which motivated their leadership in the independence movement.
• Mayorazgo is an inheritance system that allowed a family to maintain its properties undivided, ensuring their continuity in the hands of the firstborn son.
• Gamonalismo is the domination of large landowners over indigenous and peasant communities, a characteristic phenomenon of the republic and the origin of many inequalities.
• Mercantilism refers to the colonial economic policy that favored the control of commerce by the metropolis, ensuring the accumulation of wealth through the extraction of resources.
• Spanish national identity is based on a unified vision of Spain as a nation.
• A nation is a group of people who share a common identity based on factors such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity.
• The National Holiday of Spain is celebrated on October 12.
• It commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America.
• There is controversy surrounding the holiday; some consider it a celebration of national unity, while others criticize its colonialist burden and question its relevance in contemporary Spain.
• Spain has 17 autonomous communities (autonomous model).
• Some regions, such as Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia, or the Valencian Community, have other languages: Catalan, Euskera or Basque, Galician, Valencian and Asturian or Bable.
• The autonomous model recognizes the diversity of identities, but debates about independence and centralization (strong power of Madrid) remain open.
• The independence referendum of Catalonia was scheduled for October 1, 2017, organized by the Catalan government but declared illegal by the Constitutional Court of Spain, which repressed it with police deployments.
• The Spanish Constitution of 1978 was approved by 91% in a referendum.
• It contains 169 brief articles.
• The Spanish Constitution guarantees rights and establishes duties.
• It was part of the transition from the Franco dictatorship and marked the beginning of democracy.
• The Spanish Constitution established a parliamentary monarchy with a king, political parties, and a president.
• There are controversies surrounding the monarchy.
• Some feel it gives little autonomy to the regions.
• There is much debate about the monarchy.