Based on the movie “Sexo por Compasión” by Laura Mañá

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“The burden of sexuality is heavy; yes. And in general, the task laid upon us is a difficult one; but almost every serious task is difficult, and every task is serious. If one recognizes this, and from one’s own nature and life, from one’s own experience and childhood, out of one’s own strength, is able to form a truly individual relationship with sexuality—one free from the influences of tradition and morality—then one need no longer fear losing one’s head or becoming unworthy of one’s most precious treasure.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

The stage adaptation of “Sexo por Compasión” (Sex for Compassion), a 2000 Mexican–Spanish co-production by Barcelona-born actress, screenwriter, and director Laura Mañá, offers a glimpse into the ordeal of Dolores, a saintly woman living in a desolate Latin American small town, who is abandoned by her husband precisely because she is “too good.” Amid the barrenness and unbearable monotony of provincial life, Dolores seeks refuge in divine faith—and, in her own peculiar way, she finds it. Embracing the principle that “nothing human is alien to me,” she takes on the name Lolita as a kind of artistic pseudonym, and finds meaning in life by helping everyone around her, despite her own misery and loneliness—without sparing her own body or senses.

The story that unfolds before our eyes is, in essence, that of a saint—but her journey does not lead toward divinity, rather toward becoming fully human.

The performance is in Hungarian. English surtitles can be provided upon request (subject to prior arrangement; please contact us at secretariat@teatrunational.ro).