Just to Be Held

Just to Be Held is the story of Maite, a middle-aged Catalonian living in Barcelona, Spain whose life as a woman, wife, and mother, has been defined by Christianity, fairy tales, and culture, leaving her ill equipped to carry on after the accidental death of her husband. Having lived in his shadow, she is abandoned by friends and her two sons, and assumes her husband's drinking habits, passing each day washing her life in vodka tonics-light on the tonic-waiting for God's call to heaven. In a local bar, she meets Caroline, a feminist from the United States who abandoned a lucrative career and husband. Life is gradually smoldering Caroline's faith in religious teachings, hope in politics, and the wisdom of capitalism; creating an atheist and cynic. On the way home after a day of drinking, Maite befriends a young Islamic man from Pakistan who arrived illegally in Spain to pursue business opportunities for his employer. Before his disappearance-with Maite's help-he builds a successful career that brings him honor and reverence and Maite living in the Collserola Mountains until she accidentally encounters Caroline. While finding a solution to Maite's problems, the women discuss why women still wait for princes on white horses; aging and love; and singleness.