La petición

Teresa is an ambitious young woman raised in privilege who feels trapped by the expectations of her class. Unhappy with the comfortable life arranged for her, she starts to use charm, calculation and whatever means she can access to climb Spain's social ladder. Her relationships with men and servants shift as she tests boundaries, negotiates favors and makes calculated compromises, all while maintaining a polished public persona. The film follows her strategic moves and the social rituals she manipulates, showing how status, desire and moral choices interact in a closed community. The narrative stays focused on her attempts to remake her position rather than revealing outcomes in advance. Scenes emphasize social manners, private ambitions and quiet, corrosive compromises throughout Spain.

Released in 1976, La petición was directed by Pilar Miró. The screenplay credits draw on Émile Zola and Leo Anchóriz, and the film features Ana Belén, Frédéric de Pasquale and Emilio Gutiérrez Caba among its principal cast members and crew.

La petición received a limited theatrical release and did not generate notable commercial attention beyond Spain. Reliable box office figures are not widely available, and reporting suggests its audience was regional art house and domestic viewers rather than international markets.

Though it never achieved broad popular recognition, La petición is sometimes discussed in studies of Spanish cinema for its treatment of class and ambition, and for its place in Pilar Miró's early career. Ana Belén's performance is often cited by critics who review her dramatic range in period films today.

Critical reaction to La petición has been limited and uneven, reflected in a low contemporary user score like 3.7 out of 10 based on a handful of votes. Viewers and analysts discuss its focus on social climbing, ethical compromises, gender roles and the costs of ambition within constrained communities today.