Los Domingos, or ‘Sundays’, written and directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, tells the story of 17-year-old Ainara grappling with the decision to devote her life to her Christian faith and become a nun, against mixed opinions from her father and aunt.
by Jesse Dixon
Sundays comes at a time when religious films face contention and controversy before they even go into production. Sometimes they can be wonderful successes that bring people together and win Academy Awards, like Conclave from 2024. Other times, they can be heavily criticised and, in fact, divide audiences, as did 2023’s Sound of Freedom. I would argue that we need to aim for the former and tell stories that unite believers and non-believers through the quality of filmmaking and the emotional resonance of the material, which can, of course, come in more ways than one. The goal is to establish a connection point that all viewers can hold on to, no matter who they are or what they believe.
The way in which Sundays succeeds in doing this is that it isn’t really about nuns at all; it’s about grief. Our three main characters have all lost a mother, a wife, and a sister, respectively, which no doubt contributes to the positions that they take. Ainara seeks mother figures in the elder Sisters and comfort in her sorrow from God. Iñaki, her father, is struggling with the responsibilities of single parenthood (more interested in his job and his new girlfriend) and wishes to support his daughter to validate himself as a father. Maite, his sister and Ainara’s aunt, strongly opposes Ainara’s desire to devote her life to Christ as she does not want her to waste her life, she wishes for Ainara to go to university, see the world, fall in love, and become her own woman, in accordance with her own atheist standpoint and her desire to raise an independent, capable young woman for her deceased sister.
As such, the film doesn’t choose a side in terms of Ainara’s faith, but it does in terms of her personal growth. I found it interesting, and I received confirmation of this by watching the film in a packed State Theatre, that one’s reaction to the ending does actually depend on whether or not they are a believer. What the entire audience should be united on, however, is respect. Ainara has made a very big decision, the most important decision of her life to date, and she had to do so without the loving presence and support of her mother.
Sundays will no doubt resonate with young people, particularly young women, who have grown up in religious households and have found their own relationship to it separate from their parents, however that may look. It is also important viewing for said parents and all other care-givers, so that hard conversations about faith may not be antagonistic, but full of love, as this film is.
‘Sundays’ had its Australian Premiere on Friday 5th June at the 73rd Sydney Film Festival. It will next play on various dates in June and July at Palace Cinemas as part of the Spanish & Latin American Film Festival.