AllMovie

Miguel Gallardo is a well-known Spanish cartoonist who is the father of a 14-year-old daughter Maria, who lives with her mother (and Gallardo's ex-wife) May Sanchez. Maria is the inspiration for one of Gallardo's popular comic strips, but she doesn't lead an ordinary life -- Maria is autistic, and in his cartoons he deals with the challenges of raising an autistic child, as well offering a perspective on how the world must seem to her. Filmmakers Fernandez de Castro and Ibon Olaskoaga tagged along as Gallardo and Sanchez took Maria on a vacation to Gran Canaria, and in the documentary Maria y Yo (aka Maria and I), we watch as the parents deal with the ups and downs of traveling with their daughter, and interact with Maria, who they describe as existing on an emotional island of her own, to which only a handful of people are granted access. The movie also documents the very real love between Maria and her folks, despite the obstacles in communicating their emotions. Maria and I was an official selection at the 2010 BFI London Film Festival.