Piety 2022

In Spain, the teenage Mateo (played by Manel Llunell) shares a tightly wound life with his mother Libertad (played by Ángela Molina) in a home bathed in pastel pink. The bond between them feels protective at first, but it quickly reveals itself as possessive: Mateo is not allowed any public separation, they sleep side by side, and Libertad tends to answer for him in conversations. A traumatic moment arrives when Mateo, during a hospital exam, tries to flee and Libertad retaliates by injuring his toenail at home. When Mateo escapes again, a brutal headache erupts, and he collapses on the street, forcing a rescue that will change everything.

The doctors uncover a grim diagnosis: Mateo has a malignant glioblastoma. He undergoes brain surgery to remove the tumor, but the road ahead is grueling, demanding intense treatment. To help them navigate this crisis, the family agrees to involve a psychologist, Carolina López. In their sessions, Carolina (Carolina López) is confronted with Libertad’s instinct to shield Mateo from the harsh truths, repeatedly answering questions aimed at the boy. In private, Libertad recounts a difficult past, including a failed marriage where Roberto, Mateo’s father, left when his son was a baby. Carolina urges Libertad to let Mateo claim his own independence, yet Libertad secretly welcomes the radiotherapy and medications that deepen Mateo’s dependence on her. At times, Mateo regains strength after a pause in therapy, and Libertad’s unease grows: she even contemplates covertly dosing him again, a scheme Mateo eventually uncovers.

Meanwhile, in Pyongyang, Taeyang—a high-ranking officer—faces a stark reversal as his two daughters are executed after plans to escape are discovered. He escapes with his wife Cheong, and years later they sit over dinner in Seoul, where Cheong voices the fear that their gamble yielded little reward: they are poorer, their daughters are gone, and they lack a leader who truly cares. The conversation turns dark when Taeyang realizes Cheong has ingested suicide pills he once gave her, betraying a deeper fracture in their relationship.

Back in Spain, Mateo’s world is pulled further by Roberto’s continued fragility. Marta, Roberto’s current wife, reveals that he has attempted suicide, a testament to the lingering ache of the past. Guided by Carolina López, Mateo is brought to Roberto’s home, where the father explains that despite Libertad’s toxic grip, he and Mateo still need her in their lives. Marta offers Mateo a place to stay, but he declines. The family learns that Libertad has attempted suicide as well, and the two of them share a tearful reunion in the hospital. Guilt shadows Libertad, yet Mateo’s devotion to her remains: he endures further injury, tolerates mismedication, and even tolerates a form of dependency that borders on nurturing, as Libertad’s presence feels essential to his survival.

As the hospital holds Mateo in its anxious grip—overdose, neutropenia, and the looming question of continuing treatment—the two of them drift toward a reckoning about love, control, and protection. Libertad shaves her head, matching Mateo’s appearance as she begins to take on his medications with a more desperate, healthier intention: to help him, even as her health deteriorates. Then one quiet evening, a news bulletin announces the death of North Korea’s Kim Jong Il, a headline that casts a surreal backdrop over the personal tragedies unfolding at home. When Mateo checks Libertad’s room, he discovers her body, surrounded by pills, having died. A stark montage follows, showing North Koreans mourning her as if she were a supreme leader, while Mateo eventually steps into the street and collapses, unable to face life—free from Libertad, yet forever bound to the legacy of her control and his longing for autonomy.