Jaime de Armiñán’s Oscar-nominated drama made, extraordinarily, in Franco’s Spain, is an early and sympathetic portrait of identity and being intersex.
Adela (José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre) is a spinster who is desperately unhappy. Convinced there is something wrong with her – owing to a need to shave regularly and her complex romantic feelings towards her maid – Adela visits her doctor, who advises that she was assigned the wrong sex at birth. After surgery, and a name change, ‘Juan’ (still played by López Vázquez) re-starts his life as a man and hopes to find happiness.
Under Franco’s dictatorship, sympathetic portrayals of queer and intersex characters were almost non-existent. While its depiction of gender and sex identity may have dated, it’s a small miracle that My Dearest Senorita dodged the censor’s scissors. A small supporting role is played by Chus Lampreave, later a regular of Pedro Almodóvar, whose queer cinema would thrive in the years after Franco’s death.
In Spanish with English subtitles
Please note this film contains outdated representation of an LGBTQIA+ character.
Release year: 1972
Country: Spain
Director: Jaime de Armiñán
Runtime: 1 hour 20 min
Ticket prices
Students £11
Unwaged £11
Over 60s £11
Under 18s £6
Wheelchair spaces, free companion seats may now be booked online.
Please select the relevant preferences on the access registration page during your booking, so we can provide you with the correct information and discounts.
Booking a wheelchair space
Select a seat displaying the wheelchair user icon and then select 'wheelchair user' ticket type. The ticket will be priced at the lowest price for that event. If you need an essential companion, please select the E icon next to the wheelchair space you have selected.
Booking essential companion tickets
Please select at least two tickets and one of them will be automatically discounted to zero in the basket.
Booking British Sign Language or Captioned Seats
Select seats in the area appropriate to your needs.
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
Anick Soni (He/Him) is a writer, researcher, and consultant who is queer and intersex. His focus is on exploring identity, intimacy, and representation. His work blends lived experience with social critique to challenge how stories are told - and who gets to tell them.
Cinema 2
Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue.
Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Access
Cinemas 2 & 3 are located at Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican Centre’s main Silk Street entrance. There are a couple of steep, dropped kerbs and an incline to negotiate between the two sites. Level access from Beech Street.
Mobility
Each auditorium has three permanent wheelchair spaces (two in the third row and one in the front row) and 153 fixed seats with capacity for a further three spaces in the front row. Access to each auditorium is up a ramp. There are also a number of seats with step-free access.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
An infrared system for hard of hearing customers is provided in each auditorium; headsets or neck loops can be collected from foyer staff. The ticket desk counter is fitted with an induction loop.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
