The Red Virgin (La virgen roja), based on the true story of Spanish prodigy Hildegart Rodríguez, tells a story of genius and madness. It is directed by Paula Ortiz, who made this retelling into an artistic film of creation and destruction.
The Red Virgin takes place in 1930s Spain. Aurora Rodríguez (Najwa Nimri) believed in eugenics and feminism. She conceived a child with a man she knew would be unable to claim the child as his own. She wanted complete control over the child’s upbringing. She wanted to raise a perfect woman – a genius – and an example of what feminists should be.
The child, Hildegart Rodríguez (Alba Planas as a teen) was indeed a genius. She read at two, wrote essays on sexuality and feminism at an early age, became a lawyer as a teen. She published books, spoke at political meetings, and corresponded with learned minds from all around the world.

The genius came at a price. Aurora controlled every aspect of Hildegart’s life. Every moment was devoted to what Aurora wanted her daughter to become. Her difference was obvious and emphasized.
Hildegart’s coming of age happened slowly. She met a young man named Abel Velilla (Patrick Criado) who invited her to socialist meetings. She spoke at book signings and met brilliant minds from around the world. All of Spain knew the name of this virginal young girl who wrote about sexuality, feminism, and equality with such dynamic power. But she was never alone. Her mother was beside her every moment of her life.
When Aurora’s perfect creation began to crack and Hildegart demonstrated a fierce mind of her own and a demand for free will, it was as if Aurora’s mind shattered along with her vision of perfection for Hildegart.
The ending will leave you shocked.
If you aren’t familiar with the name Hildegart Rodríguez, as I was not, there’s a decent summary of her life and accomplishments on Wikipedia. I suggest waiting until after you’ve seen the movie to read it so as not to spoil the surprises. The film is streaming on Prime Video.
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