Cannes 2026 (Critics’ Week): Viva (dir. Aina Clotet) | Review
Aina Clotet’s Viva (Alive) explores a cancer survivor’s reawakening desire through two profoundly different relationships in a standout Critics’ Week debut.
The acclaimed Spanish actress, celebrated both nationally and internationally for her performances, makes her feature directorial debut at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, within the Critics’ Week, with a film that transforms trauma into an urgent meditation on intimacy, freedom, and the will to truly live.
At 43, Clotet assumes multiple creative roles as director, co-writer, co-producer, and lead actress. She stars as Nora, a woman whose life is profoundly altered after a serious health crisis leads to the removal of her right breast through a mastectomy. Set in a near-future Spain facing severe water scarcity, Nora works in healthcare alongside her father, while also teaching university health classes. She shares her life with Tom (Naby Dakhli), her partner of one year, yet her emotional landscape begins to shift when someone from her past unexpectedly re-enters her world. Long-suppressed desires surface, forcing Nora to confront whether she should remain within the safety of familiarity or pursue something more liberating.
At the center of Nora’s emotional awakening is Max, played brilliantly by Marc Soler — the cousin of her closest friend, whom she has known since childhood. A recent kiss between them becomes the catalyst for a profound transformation in their relationship. While Max hopes to build something deeper with Nora, she finds herself increasingly drawn not only to him, but also to the rediscovery of her own sexuality, curiosity, and emotional freedom. Through Nora’s evolving dynamic with these two very different men, Clotet crafts a story that balances vulnerability, sensuality, humor, and emotional honesty with remarkable fluidity. Between her assured direction and fearlessly expressive performance, Clotet delivers nothing short of a tour de force.
Guided by Nilo Zimmermann’s vivid cinematography and Clara Aguilar’s addictive score, Viva (Alive) captures one woman’s emotional excesses with exhilarating rhythm inside a world that is simultaneously funny, fearless, sensual, and emotionally raw. Beneath its vibrant visual language and playful energy lies a film deeply invested in inner conflict — one that resonates most powerfully with those who still possess an intense passion for life, even after confronting mortality.
Produced by Edmon Roch for Ikiru Films, alongside co-producers Marta Baldó, Jan Andreu, Marc Clotet, and Aina Clotet for Funicular Films, Viva (Alive) emerges as a deeply human portrait of survival, desire, and emotional rebirth. Caramel Films will release the film in Spain on June 19, while Haut et Court will handle French distribution. International sales are managed by Paris-based Loco Films.
Our team is on site for the 79th Cannes Film Festival, from May 12 to 23, 2026.
