After their financial situation changes, both Sheila and Kikita begin to sell their inherited property gradually. Both come from the origins of a wealthy family. After a short time, their debts would appear to lead them to Shikita prison for fraud. Sheila decided to face her reality, where she began to work in taxi driving. By chance, Sheila encounters Angy the younger, where their relationship began to emerge. Sheila began to live a life of luxury again after long suffering.
Using largely unknown actresses with practically no screen experience yet an extraordinarily canny understanding of character, the director-writer achieves a heightened degree of insight within the confines of a stripped-down production.
Martinessi compassionately and without judgment, looks to coax his country from the safe but darkened doorway of the past, out into the sunshine of the present and the uncertain weather of the future.
With his debut film, Marcelo Martinessi paints an impressive image of Paraguay's upper class, trapped in their situation as the characters are in their social roles. [Full review in Spanish]
Builds emotional involvement by infinitesimal degrees through its acute observation of characters and social context and its ultra-naturalistic performances.
The film succeeds mostly in Martinessi's direction. His shadowy visual aesthetic compensates for the narrative's shortcomings by evoking an absorbing sense of melancholy.
Brun's performance exists mostly in between her sparse bits of dialogue - her facial expressions direct the emotional core of any given scene, while her eyes seem to change color with particular moods.
This beautifully played-out drama is as much about the emergence of Paraguay after so long under dictatorship as about the middle-aged Chela, now emerging from the literal darkness of her shadowy home. Ana Brun is exceptional as Chela.
