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María Jaén

Writer · Utrera, Seville, Andalucía, Spain

María Jaén was born in 1962 in Utrera, Seville, Andalucía, Spain. She is a writer and actress, known for The Barcelona Vampiress (2020), Barefoot on Red Soil (2013) and Like Water for Chocolate (2024).

Biography from IMDb.

From
Utrera, Seville, Andalucía, Spain
Works as
Writer
Titles
5 on MovieCove
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)

Known for

What are María Jaén's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
40%
Self
15%
Morality
15%
Bonds
14%
Survival
6%
Society
6%
Ideas
5%

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
3
Bittersweet
3
Dread
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Bittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch María Jaén's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on HBO Max (1).

Subscription and free streaming for María Jaén's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

5 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.

  • Like Water for Chocolate(2024)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Barcelona Vampiress(2020)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Hernán(2019)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • The Power of Silence(2017)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Laia(2016)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

Career shape

Across their 5 MovieCove titles from 2016 to 2024.

Biggest box office

The Barcelona Vampiress (2020)

$120K worldwide

Highest rated

Hernán (2019)

Midcredits 76th

Most popular right now

Like Water for Chocolate (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing5 of 5: 5 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

By decade

2010s3 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts over their MovieCove titles; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles, shown from 5 scored.

How do María Jaén's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

24thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 5 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed2

Most loved · writer

The Power of Silence (2017)

Midcredits 80th · 67% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does María Jaén work with?

People who share at least 2 of María Jaén's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Julián de Tavira shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Producers