Mariana Hormiga

Co-director/screenwriter Maite Uzal and co-director Rubén Pascual Tardío’s Mariana Hormiga is a modern folktale, set in a remote corner of Spain where magic brushes up against daily survival. In the remote region of Thorbat, a mother and daughter live as beggars. Mariana, the daughter, is fascinated by an anthill she watches over protectively, while her mother sleeps in a chair nearby until church bells jolt her awake. Upon observing the insects’ simple lives, Mariana declares she is an ant. The two hurry off, begging for coins from the flow of villagers as a street preacher stands on his pedestal. Mother insists that Mariana begin singing. People pass by, ignoring the pair.

When all hope is lost, a wealthy and elegant old woman stops to listen, charmed by Mariana’s voice. Though she has no money to give, she offers a special gift…a lottery ticket. Mariana senses something ominous about it and pleads with her mother to refuse, but her mother eagerly accepts the gift. As luck would have it, the lottery ticket is a winner.

“Mariana…is fascinated by an anthill she watches over protectively.”

The story then jumps ahead years. The mother is now wealthy, living the life of ease she always wanted, rooted more in laziness than comfort, while Mariana still believes she is an ant. After living with Mariana’s mental state for years, the mother hires a doctor to speak with Mariana about her condition.

The filmmakers drew inspiration from the surrealist spirit of Buñuel, Lorca, and Dalí, shaping Mariana Hormiga as a fable rooted in the folklore of the Aragón region. Their goal was to build a timeless, dreamlike world where magic and tradition coexist, sparked originally by a prompt to explore the “charm” of Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. That single word opened the door to a story about wishes, consequences, and the fragile divide between innocence and desire. Through this tale of a mother chasing effortless wealth and a daughter longing to become as diligent as the ants she admires, Uzal and Tardío weave themes of transformation, temptation, and the unexpected cost of yearning for a life beyond one’s place in the world.

In many ways, Mariana Hormiga is a fable about finding contentment in the simplicity of life. There is a lot of depth in this Spanish fable, whose message does not leap out at you like “The Tortoise and the Hare.” It speaks to our humanity, questioning whether there is more to life than the lazy path to riches or security. It is a beautiful and haunting tale and succeeds in shining a light on human nature, forcing us to stop for a moment and enjoy the simplest things in life.