Spanish director Gracia Querejeta directed this complex psychological study about two generations of a single family. The film unfolds with a double narrative. The first details the turbulent marriage of the brittle Adela (Marta Belaustegui) and her macho, Cuban-born husband Joao (Jorge Perugorria). Their lives are chronicled from their wedding in the 1950s through the birth and upbringing of their three daughters, to Joao's mysterious disappearance in the '60s. In the second narrative, the three daughters, Gloria (Mercedes Sampietro), Ana (Adriana Ozores), and Lidia (Rosa Mariscal) -- now all in their 40s -- gather for the funeral of their mother. They soon discover that they need to find Joao to discuss Adela's will, and their superstitious aunt provides a key bit of information in finding their father's whereabouts. Cuando Vuelvas a Mi Lado was screened at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival.
~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide