Dance of the Living

Spanish director José Ángel Alayón transports us to a drama about family and martial arts.

''Dance of the Living'' takes place on the arid island of Fuerteventura in the Canary archipelago. The lives of Miguel (Tomasín Padrón) and his daughter Mariana (Yazmina Estupiñán) change forever. The woman and mother of the family dies, and overnight they are left emotionally abandoned. 

Father and daughter feel a void inside them. Thus, they try to rebuild their lives and find meaning beyond the pain they cannot stop feeling. A place where they feel welcomed and cared for is in the traditional Canarian wrestling. The roots, strength, and community that this ancestral sport carries teach them a path beyond the sadness they have inside.

Both experience the struggle in different ways. While Miguel, a veteran wrestler, notices that his body is starting to betray him (age does not go unnoticed by anyone, and injuries accumulate in his body); Mariana channels her anger and frustration from the loss of her mother into a passion for wrestling.

Mariana has a young mind that leads her to challenge the limits of the sport, question its rules, and honor her mother's memory. Mariana desperately seeks a way to feel alive again.

Father and daughter will have to face each other both in the ring and against their internal struggles. Their fears, fragilities, and wounds will be exposed. Will this finally be their path to healing? Can they rebuild their bonds and find themselves again?