El año de las luces (1986): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1986, El año de las luces is a drama and krieg film directed by Fernando Trueba, running about 105 minutes.

What it’s about. April, 1940. Manolo, 16 years old, and Jesus, who is just 8, are taken by their older brother Pepe, a lieutenant in the Army, to a sanatorium for children suffering from tuberculosis, situated on the border with Portugal. Once in the sanatorium, Manolo, surrounded by boys all much younger than he is, feels a bit like the cock of the walk since the only other man around is the handyman Emilio who looks after the gardens and does whatever needs to be done about the place. His wife, Rafaela, is the cook. Manolo meets Irene, a falangist who runs the sanatorium, and the school teacher, Miss Transito, a crabby spinster. He has his first sexual experience, albeit as a voyeur, with his nurse Vicenta. When she has to leave, her place is taken by a girl from the village, Maria Jesus, with whom Manolo falls hopelessly in love. A relationship grows up between them which will mark them both for ever.

Who’s in it. El año de las luces stars Jorge Sanz as Manolo, Verónica Forqué as Irene, Maribel Verdú as María Jesús and Rafaela Aparicio as Rafaela, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.1/10, El año de las luces has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch El año de las luces page.

If you liked it. Fans of El año de las luces tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.