By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)
From Mexico, writer/director Lucia Carreras tells an affecting and even disturbing tale of a young woman’s painful struggles in coping with the loss of her father. Pilar (Cecilia Suarez) has remained very close to her father and has taken care of him up until his death. At first, Pilar suffers a profound depression, hardly leaving her home and wanting to remain alone, hardly visiting with family and friends. Slowly, but surely Pilar begins display signs of recovery; however, she also begins to act in some unusual and unnerving ways that concern her brother Jose and, even more so, her sister-in-law Gabriela (Gabriela de la Garza).
Carreras’ film is a compelling portrait of a woman who is not only devastated by her father’s passing, but who is also psychologically disturbed by troubles in her past. Cecilia Suarez offers a breathtaking performance as Pilar and deservedly won the CLAIFF Jury Award for her incredible acting. The movie runs for only 89 minutes, but still drags a bit towards the end of the film, making it seem much longer. The story does have a refreshingly unexpected conclusion which I loved. I plan to be on the look out for more films by Carreras, especially if they star Cecilia Suarez.