The Education of Fairies

“The Education of Fairies” (original title “La educación de las hadas”) is a 2006 drama film directed by José Luis Cuerda. The screenplay, written by Cuerda together with Didier Van Cauwelaert, adapts Van Cauwelaert’s 2000 novel “L’Éducation d’une fée”. A co-production between Spain, France, Argentina and Portugal, the film was made by companies including Tornasol Films, Finales Felices, Messidor Films, Lazennec, Pol-Ka Producciones and Madragoa Filmes.

The story follows toy designer Nicolás, who meets the widowed ornithologist Ingrid and her highly imaginative son Raúl during a flight. The boy joins the budding relationship between the two adults with his own fairytale world, but Ingrid’s decision to end the affair for no apparent reason shatters it, leaving Raúl convinced that only a fairy’s intervention can repair the broken bond. Shot mainly in Spanish with some French dialogue, the film stars Irène Jacob and Ricardo Darín and runs about 103 minutes.