Rated R

Set in Madrid in 1975, Rated R follows Sandra, Lina and Eva, three attractive actresses who find steady work in Spain's erotic cinema. They meet on a shoot and quickly form a close bond, swapping hard-won advice about career moves, intimate relationships and the compromises that come with public attention. As the country loosens strict moral controls, new possibilities open for them but social and legal barriers remain, and personal liberty comes with steep consequences. The film pays attention to the small domestic details of their lives, the rivalries that surface, and the ways friendship can offer protection as much as strain, showing how the promise of change collides with everyday realities. Performances highlight the era and the characters' resilience.

Directed by Félix Sabroso and Dunia Ayaso, Rated R was released in Spain in 2008. The ensemble cast features Candela Peña, Goya Toledo and Mar Flores, and the film screened at Spanish festivals and in regional cinemas and art-house venues.

The movie had a limited theatrical release, mostly in Spain, and did not reach broad international audiences. Its financial impact was modest, with greatest exposure coming from festival showings, specialty screenings and later home video or television broadcasts, and largely domestic.

Critical reaction was mixed, reflected in modest audience scores, though reviewers often singled out performances by Peña and Toledo for strength despite an uneven script. The film tackles female solidarity, lingering censorship and the tradeoffs faced by women working in a stigmatized sector, questioning who benefits from newfound cultural openness.

While not a mainstream phenomenon outside Spain, Rated R prompted conversations about representation and the working conditions of performers during the late Franco period. Its period detail and frankness about erotic filmmaking attracted attention in Spanish film circles, and has been referenced in discussions about gender and censorship in cinema.