Elisa & Marcela

Elisa & Marcela (Elisa y Marcela) is a 2019 Spanish biographical romantic drama film directed by Isabel Coixet. Starring Natalia de Molina and Greta Fernández, the film tells the story of Elisa Sánchez Loriga and Marcela Gracia Ibeas, two women who got married in 1901 in the first same-sex matrimony recorded in Spain. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.

Cast

 * Natalia de Molina as Elisa
 * Greta Fernández as Marcela
 * Sara Casasnovas as Ana
 * Tamar Novas as Andrés
 * María Pujalte as Madre de Marcela

Critical reception
The film has mostly received negative and mixed reviews. Jay Weissberg from Variety defined it “a dully made, frequently ridiculous eye-roller shot in standard issue black-and-white that gussies itself up as a brave clarion call for gay rights”, while Lee Marshall from Screen considered Coixet's work “a conventional and predictably plotted period drama (...) [It] misses no opportunity to make forbidden love look as classy as a perfume ad.“

Davide Abbatescianni from Cineuropa highlighted the good performances of the two lead actresses but admitted that “in some parts, the tension is sorely lacking and the dialogue is rather dull.” The critic also pointed out that some of the love scenes were a little over the top, “particularly the one in which the pair are involved in some heavy petting and use an octopus.“

Finally, Clarence Tsui from The Hollywood Reporter acknowledged that “wanting to make a point, the filmmaker has delivered a piece devoid of the emotional nuances that made Brokeback Mountain or Carol, to cite two seminal same-sex love stories, such gripping and heartbreaking viewing.“