The Fly in the Ashes

La mosca en la cenzia

The Fly in the Ashes

Gabriela David

The two young women Nancy and Pato leave their village in the northwest of Argentina in the belief that they will earn money with a cleaning job in Buenos Aires. Nancy, the elder one, is somewhat backward and illiterate, and follows Pato around like a sister. Once they arrive, they realise that they have been duped, and find themselves in a brothel. Imprisoned in the claustrophobic and brutal atmosphere of an apartment in a very middle class area, their hopes of a better future seem to be far away. Through the window they can see people going  about their lives, but nobody helps them. Pato reacts violently, and is mercilessly bullied for this. Nancy, naive but at the same time  pragmatic, adjusts better to her new situation. It soon becomes clear to both of them that escaping is not an option. On the contrary: those who cause problems are abducted in the middle of the night. The situation of the
two women becomes more and more desperate. Should they really just accept their situation or fight with pride for their freedom and dignity? In her film, based on true events, Gabriela David focuses on the close relationship between the two girls by contrasting Pato‘s self-destructive refusal to accept her situation with Nancy‘s silent acknowledgment of the fact that other moral laws apply in this environment.

Director / Script

Gabriela David

Cinematography

Miguel Abal

Editing

Enrique Angeleri

Sound

Sebastián Gonzáles

Music

Mariano Núñez West

Cast

Luis Machín, Luciano Cáceres, Cecilia Rosetto

Production

Gabriela David

Contact

Enrique Angeleri

Portrait of director Gabriela David

Gabriela David

Gabriela David was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and gained a masters degree in fine art from the national art school in 1980. Since 1978, she has worked as a director of feature films and  independent productions for television, and has also worked on animation films and shorts. From 1993, she was professor for communication science at the University of Buenos Aires. Taxi, un encuentro – David‘s first feature film, won many awards, including the Silver Caravelle for the best iberoamerican short film at the 1989 Bilbao film festival. Gabriela David died in November 2010.


Films by Gabriela David
Ensayo 2003 | Taxi – Eine Nacht in Buenos Aires 2001 | Tren gaucho 1989 | Romance en la puerta oueste de la cuidad 1979