The life of mother-of-three Marcela (Mercedes Morán) changes dramatically when her sister Rina suddenly dies. While clearing out Rina’s apartment, she finds old photos and letters that bring back memories. Her everyday life suddenly seems dislocated and alien and she begins to withdraw from her family. She starts to communicate with ghosts from the past. Long-dead relatives, aunts and uncles, appear in Marcela’s living room. In her grief, the boundaries between past and present, dream and reality disappear. Nacho, a friend of her daughter who helps clear out the apartment, becomes a companion, someone she can relax with and open up to.

María Alché’s debut film celebrated its world première at the 2018 Cineasti del presente competition in Locarno. Previously an actress, Alché succeeded in creating an authentic family portrait thanks to intensive rehearsals in which the ensemble played through the details of every scene – a portrait reminiscent of the films of well-known Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel (La Ciénaga). Alché played the main part in Martel’s La niña santa and drew on Martel’s support for her debut. Also outstanding is the camera work of Hélène Louvart who has worked with Claire Denis, Agnès Varda and Alice Rohrwacher (Lucky as Lazzaro), among others. By filtering light through curtains, she creates a mysterious space for encounters with the spirits of the past and thus captures the state of suspension in which Marcela finds herself. (SH)

Film Series Kaleidoscorpse

Awards for ›A Family Submerged‹
Premio Horizontes Latinos – Sam Sebastián 2018