Sangre de mayo

The young Gabriel Araceli works as a typesetter in a modest printer’s workshop in Madrid. His girlfriend, Ines, is an orphan girl living in Aranjuez at her uncle’s house, the monk Don Celestino Santos del Malvar. During a visit to his girlfriend, Gabriel coincides with the historic uprising of March 19th 1808 in Aranjuez against Godoy, whose palace is assaulted by the mob. Given the circumstances, Don Celestino decides that Ines should move to Madrid to live with their relatives, Don Mauro Requejo and his sister Restituta. Gabriel, in order to be near his girlfriend, accepts a job as a servant in the shop of the Requejo’s, and also because Don Mauro wants nothing more than to be married to Inés himself. After many difficulties, Gabriel and Inés flee together, taking advantage of the tumultuous reception that the people of Madrid give to King Ferdinand VII, The Desired. They plan to flee to Cádiz, the birthplace of Gabriel, but with the pretext of invading Portugal, Napoleon’s troops are invading Spain. When the popular revolt against the imperial troops breaks out on May 2nd 1808, Gabriel finds himself involved in the fierce battle taking place in the Puerta del Sol. (Huesca International Film Festival)