In Salve Maria, Mar Coll crafts a gripping psychological thriller that probes the darker sides of motherhood and self-identity. Maria, a young writer who has just given birth, becomes obsessed with the highly publicized case of a French woman who drowned her ten-month-old twins in the bathtub. This obsession takes root in Maria’s mind, feeding her growing fear that she, too, could become a monster. Structured in four chapters, Salve Maria uses quotes from well-known figures like Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath and Simone de Beauvoir to tie Maria’s personal crisis to larger, universal questions about societal expectations of women and mothers.Mar Coll starts the film with an empty frame of a living room that feels suffocating in its smallness. Tense, ominous music is set against the prolonged sound of crying from the bathroom. The stage is set for a dramatic conflict between the reality of modern motherhood and the ideal version to which we still adhere. The decision to juxtapose her neurosis with surreal, almost fantastical scenes — including a trip to the Pyrénées to confront the French woman and to try to understand her motivation — creates a powerful sense of disorientation as she spirals further into her fears.The film’s 35mm aesthetic, combined with an intense orchestral score by Zeltia Montes, heightens the unsettling atmosphere as Maria begins to unravel. Laura Weissmahr’s portrayal of Maria is raw and unflinching, depicting the overwhelming guilt and internal conflict of a mother who feels trapped by what society deems as “natural” maternal instincts. As she struggles to maintain control, the film blurs the lines between reality and her imagined horrors.Weissmahr portrays a woman not as “weak,” but as someone of strength, burdened by the weight of societal expectations and personal struggles. Director Mar Coll embraced the challenge of tackling such a complex subject, highlighting her willingness to confront and question conventional norms. Salve Maria dares to voice the unspeakable truths about motherhood, never shying away from the difficulties, and making it clear that motherhood is not easy.Nicole Guillemet