The story of Un amor: isolation, desire, and a dangerous proposition
When Nat arrives in La Escapa, a sleepy countryside village, she's looking for a fresh start—or at least some peace and quiet away from whatever she's left behind. What she finds instead is Andreas, a neighbour with an unusual request. He proposes something sexual, something that most people would refuse outright. But Nat doesn't refuse. What follows is less a love story and more a descent into mutual obsession, the kind where two people become so tangled up in each other that stepping back becomes impossible. Un amor, directed by Isabel Coixet, doesn't romanticize this arrangement. It excavates it. The 127-minute runtime gives the film space to show how desire can warp judgment, how isolation amplifies longing, and how saying yes to the wrong thing at the right moment can reshape your entire life.
Behind the making of Un amor: Coixet's adaptation of Mesa's provocative novel
Isabel Coixet, a director known for her unflinching approach to emotional complexity, adapted Un amor from Sara Mesa's 2021 novel of the same name alongside screenwriter Laura Ferrero. The production brought together a coalition of Spanish broadcasters and production companies—Buena Pinta Media, Perdición Films, Movistar Plus+, TV3, RTVE, and others—signalling that this was a prestige project with institutional backing. The film premiered in 2023 and quickly accumulated recognition: it secured 8 wins and 38 nominations across various festivals and awards ceremonies, marking it as one of Spain's more critically engaged releases that year. Laia Costa, who plays Nat, brings a quiet intensity to the role—she's known for her work in films that demand psychological nuance rather than broad emotional gestures. Hovik Keuchkerian, as Andreas, carries the weight of a character whose desires are both compelling and deeply troubling. The chemistry between them doesn't feel comfortable, which is precisely the point. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics awarded the film an 80% Fresh rating, though audience scores on IMDb settled at 6.5/10 from over 1,600 votes—a gap that suggests the film's provocative subject matter and refusal to offer easy catharsis divided viewers.
What makes Un amor stand out: subversion, performance, and the unsettling power of rural confinement
What's striking about Un amor is that it doesn't ask you to sympathize with either character's choices—it asks you to understand them, which is far more uncomfortable. Coixet's direction strips away the mythology we usually wrap around passion. There's no swelling orchestral score when they touch, no soft-focus cinematography to suggest this is romance. Instead, there's a clinical, almost anthropological gaze at how two isolated people can construct an entire world around their mutual desire, and how that world might be built on delusion, convenience, or something darker still. The film's subversive edge lies in its refusal to punish the woman for her agency while simultaneously showing the cost of her choices. Gender roles get complicated here—Nat isn't a victim being seduced, but she's also not empowered in any traditional sense. She's trapped, though not always by Andreas. Sometimes she's trapped by herself. The cinematography emphasizes the claustrophobia of the village itself, the way rural isolation can feel like a pressure chamber where normal social restraints dissolve. What Movie OTT tracks across its platform database, you'll notice is that films exploring sexual obsession often either sensationalize or sanitize the material. Un amor does neither. It's a portrait of two people who want something from each other that neither can quite articulate, and the slow recognition that what they've built might be destructive.
Where to stream Un amor online
Un amor is currently available on major OTT services, and you can check the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page to see which platform has it in your region right now. Streaming rights shift frequently, so if you're planning to watch, it's worth verifying availability before settling in. Movie OTT keeps its platform listings updated across Netflix, Prime Video, and other major services, so you won't waste time hunting. The film's 127-minute runtime means you'll want a solid block of time—this isn't something that plays well as background noise. It demands your attention.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Un amor based on a true story?
No, but it's based on Sara Mesa's 2021 novel of the same name. Mesa's work is known for exploring desire and psychology in ways that feel unsettlingly real, even though the characters and situations are fictional.
Q: Who directed Un amor?
Isabel Coixet directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Laura Ferrero. Coixet is a Spanish director with a track record of making emotionally complex, sometimes provocative cinema.
Q: What's the age rating for Un amor?
The film contains sexual content and mature themes, so it's intended for adult audiences. Check your local rating system before watching with others.
Q: How long is Un amor?
The film runs 127 minutes, giving Coixet enough time to develop the psychological tension between the two leads without rushing the narrative.
Q: Where was Un amor filmed?
While the novel is set in a rural Spanish village, specific filming location details aren't widely publicized. The sense of isolation and rural confinement is central to the story's atmosphere.
Final thoughts on Un amor: who should watch this film
Un amor isn't for everyone—and that's not a criticism, it's a fact. If you're drawn to character-driven dramas that refuse easy answers, if you're interested in how desire and obsession can reshape two people, or if you want to see Spanish cinema tackling provocative material with intelligence rather than exploitation, then this is your film. It's the kind of movie that lingers, that you'll think about days later while doing something mundane. That's the mark of serious filmmaking. Just don't expect comfort.
