Year of Enlightment

Manolo and his younger brother Jesús arrive at a rural sanatorium in Sierra de Gata to recover from tuberculosis. They join a group of children under the watch of Irene, the strict director, as springtime begins after the Civil War. The setting establishes the hospital as a backdrop for health battles and early coming-of-age tensions.

Manolo, the only adolescent among the children, begins his slow recovery and sexual awakening. He finds himself drawn to Vicenta, the attractive woman in charge of the children's care. These feelings set the stage for the storms of desire and authority that unfold at the sanatorium.

Manolo's flirtations with Vicenta intensify his curiosity about love and boundaries. He spies on her at night as she undresses, signaling a precocious and troubling coming-of-age moment. The dynamic adds a charged tension to the ward's routine.

Amid his attraction to Vicenta, Irene, the head nurse, becomes infatuated with Manolo himself. Her unreciprocated feelings complicate the governance of the sanatorium and his fragile boundaries. The situation underscores the film's themes of desire and control.

Manolo clashes with Doña Tránsito, the conservative teacher who embodies strict authority. The confrontation pushes him to study on his own and questions the classroom's power structures. This clash accelerates his self-education and rebellious streak.

Emilio, the old free-thinking janitor, becomes Manolo's mentor and introduces him to new ideas. He exposes him to authors like Montaigne, Balzac, and Flaubert, broadening his perspective beyond the sanatorium's routines. This intellectual awakening helps shape Manolo's sense of self.

Vicenta leaves the sanatorium, leaving Manolo disappointed and redirected in his affections. He soon becomes infatuated with Maria Jesús, a young village girl who arrives as Vicenta's successor. Emilio quietly supports this shift toward a first romance.

Manolo and María Jesús start exploring their first love and sexual awakening under a renewed sense of possibility. Emilio encourages their budding romance, seeing in their youth a chance to learn about desire and freedom. The affair unfolds against the backdrop of the sanatorium's rules and the children in residence.

Irene discovers Manolo and María Jesús kissing in the infirmary, and she immediately fires María Jesús, sending her away to stay with her uncle, the local priest. The situation is deepened by a twist revealed later: María Jesús is the priest's illegitimate daughter. These events abruptly derail the romance and intensify the power struggle within the sanatorium.

Pepe, the elder brother and army officer, comes back to take Manolo with the rest of their family. With Manolo leaving, the young lovers are separated forever, ending the romance that had bloomed in the sanatorium. The journey back marks a hard boundary between youth and the adult world outside the camp.