In the landscape of contemporary European cinema, few debut features have generated as much industry anticipation as Laura Obradors’ The Woodworm (El Corquim). A searing exploration of the delicate, often volatile architecture of the nuclear family, the project marks a significant transition for the filmmaker, who has previously garnered acclaim for her short-form works. Produced by Sergio Adrià’s Espurna Films and co-produced by industry veteran Sandra Hermida, the film dissects the power dynamics between a burgeoning teenage girl and her father, a celebrated artist caught in the throes of a creative and personal crisis.
As it navigates the festival circuit and international co-production markets, The Woodworm is positioning itself as a vital voice in Catalan cinema—a narrative that seeks to dismantle the romanticized figure of the “male genius” while chronicling the arduous process of female self-actualization.
The Genesis of the Project: A Chronology of Development
The journey of The Woodworm from a deeply personal concept to a high-profile industry project has been characterized by careful, iterative development. Obradors, whose previous shorts Si amanece, nos vamos and Las chicas demonstrated a keen eye for human intimacy, began this project with a kernel of reality: the life of a close friend.
The Development Timeline:
- Initial Concept: Born from an interest in the conflicting dualities of a daughter’s relationship with her father, the project began as an exploration of the “rules of the masculine world” imposed on young women.
- Incubation Phase: The project found a crucial home in Madrid’s prestigious ECAM Incubator. Under the mentorship of industry heavyweights like Sandra Hermida—known for her work on global hits like Society of the Snow and The Impossible—and Goya-winning filmmaker Carlos Marqués-Marcet, the script underwent rigorous refinement.
- Expanding Reach: Following participation in Mexico’s Cine Qua Non Lab, the project began to gain international traction. It was selected for the Cannes Focus COPRO and the ECAM Forum’s “Films to Come,” signaling to global distributors that this was a project with significant trans-border resonance.
- Current Status: As of late 2024, the film is moving past its fourth draft, with the production team actively courting co-producers and sales agents in key European markets, including Spain, France, Portugal, and Belgium.
Narrative Core: The Politics of Being Seen
At the heart of the film is 17-year-old Clara. She exists in a state of perpetual paradox: she hungers for external validation—to be seen, adored, and acknowledged—while simultaneously harboring a fierce, internal impulse to shatter the attachments that define her.
Obradors describes this conflict as the central engine of the film. “Clara always seems to crave something from the outside world,” the director noted in an interview with Variety. “But at the same time, she has an internal and contradictory impulse that wants to push her to break free from these attachments and become more independent, mature, and free.”
This struggle is not merely psychological; it is systemic. Clara lives within a family structure predicated on power, submission, and male pleasure. The absence of alternative role models leaves her isolated, forced to question the very foundations of her intimacy and femininity. The tragedy of the film, as Obradors suggests, lies in the guilt that accompanies this questioning. To rebel against her father is to threaten the only structure she has ever known.
The Myth of the Divine Artist
A distinguishing feature of The Woodworm is its unflinching examination of the “artistic ego.” Clara’s father, Ricard, is a successful painter—a man who, by virtue of his profession, is granted a degree of societal immunity.
“For a long time, we’ve seen the artist as a kind of genius and almost a divine figure,” Obradors explains. “That idea can sometimes make us forget that artists are also responsible for what they create and for the power they have.”
By placing a patriarch whose profession allows him to dictate the visual and emotional reality of his household at the center of the story, the film challenges the viewer to look past the “prestige” of art. Ricard’s creative crisis becomes a catalyst for his domestic tyranny, illustrating how the artistic temperament is often used as a shield to deflect accountability for interpersonal harm.
Production Philosophy: A Hostile, Magical Environment
Sergio Adrià, the founder of Espurna Films, emphasizes that the film’s strength lies in its refusal to shift the gaze away from the daughter. “It’s not a film about how he deals with his inner demons or impulses,” Adrià notes. “It’s all about her, focusing on the construction of female identity in a hostile and male-dominated environment.”
To translate this vision into a visual language, the team is opting for a subjective, adolescent filter. The world of The Woodworm will not be a static representation of reality; instead, the audience will view the landscape through Clara’s eyes. Places, people, and memories will oscillate between the idealized and the unsettling.
This juxtaposition of beauty and cruelty is a deliberate stylistic choice. It reflects the film’s thematic preoccupation with the “woodworm”—the titular insect that destroys a foundation from within, silently and invisibly. As Obradors notes, the home is a space of “repression, silent and invisible, where suffering, fear, and guilt live.”
Industry Implications and Strategic Goals
The development of The Woodworm represents a broader movement within Spanish and Catalan cinema to prioritize auteur-driven, original-language narratives that maintain high production values. Espurna Films, founded in 2023, has staked its reputation on this model, following the success of titles like Upon Entry and Away.
The Path Forward:
- Co-production Strategy: By attending major industry events like the San Sebastián Film Festival and the Les Arcs Industry Village, the production team is seeking partners who understand the cultural specificity of Catalan stories while recognizing their universal appeal.
- Structural Support: With backing from the Catalan Institute for Cultural Enterprises, the project has secured a solid financial foundation, allowing the creative team to focus on the nuance of the script rather than the exigencies of low-budget survival.
- The Director’s Growth: For Obradors, the development process has been a masterclass in emotional distance. By moving through multiple drafts and international labs, she has learned to "put reality at the service of the film rather than the other way around," ensuring that the personal inspiration behind the story is transmuted into a cohesive, cinematic experience.
Conclusion: A Portrait of Invisible Destruction
The Woodworm is poised to be a haunting addition to the canon of coming-of-age cinema. By focusing on the interplay between the "genius" patriarch and the suppressed daughter, Laura Obradors does not simply tell a story of family dysfunction; she interrogates the very nature of power, representation, and the silent, corrosive forces that define our formative years.
As the industry waits for the final greenlight, the project stands as a testament to the power of independent development. It is a film that asks us to consider what happens when the structures we rely on—our homes, our families, our idols—are found to be hollowed out by the very people who built them. Whether it achieves the critical acclaim that its early workshops and labs suggest remains to be seen, but The Woodworm has already succeeded in doing what all great art should: it has begun the conversation.
