What would you do to lift yourself out of poverty?

For Irene (Maeve Jinkings), struggling with a sullen and unmotivated husband, I willful son, and a bedbound father, the opportunity comes like a Faustian choice. A drug kingpin needs to go into hiding and the family are offered money to have him replace Irene’s father. She agrees, with a little angst, and of course it doesn’t become the salvation she expects.

On the surface, this is an adept film. It reminded me of Blackbird Blackbird, Blackberry (2023) in its mise en scène – the faded colour of simple dwellings, the slow pace of life-and the dourness of its female protagonist.

It also sits in an uncomfortable space between black comedy and drama. The characters are all slightly exaggerated, but not enough to be satire. Some of the things they do are shocking and played straight but not enough to feel like metaphor.

There is a major pothole in how the premise unfolds – think about why the father had to be removed. It’s possible that this is deliberate, to underline the lack of humanity of the generally likeable Irene. It grated on me, though, and shows the fine line one treads with satire.

Overall, it was fine. Just the whole seemed less than the sum of the parts.

Director: Carolina Markowicz
Origin: Argentina, Brazil (2022)
Language: Portuguese with English subtitles
Genre: Drama

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