The Second Mother (Que Horas Ela Volta?)
Ajyal Competition
Anna Muylaert / Feature Narrative / Brazil / 2015 / 110 min / Colour / DCP2K
In Portuguese / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Drama
MENA Premiere
Rated: Mature subject matter. Not suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are not admitted into cinemas.
Synopsis
A testament to the enduring bond between mothers and their children, ‘The Second Mother’ features marvellous performances and a tightly written script that cleverly releases its tension with moments of wry humour.
Val is the long-time live-in housekeeper for a wealthy family in São Paulo. Considered part of the family – well, almost – she cooks and cleans, launders and serves, and has all but raised the family's 17-year-old son Fabinho, with whom she has an especially tender relationship. One day, her daughter Jéssica, whom Val has not seen for 10 years, announces she is coming to town with hopes of attending university there. Thrilled, Val obtains permission from her employers to have Jéssica stay with her in her tiny room and excitedly goes about making plans to find an apartment in the city.
Jéssica’s arrival, however, immediately upsets the balance of the household. Unwilling to mimic her mother’s role as the help, she is soon sleeping in the guest room, eating whatever is in the fridge and having lunch with the man of the house. Tensions arise in all directions, the gap between classes widens – and when Val learns her daughter’s well-kept secret, it becomes clear that a fundamental change in the order of things is needed.
About the Directors
Anna Muylaert directed her first feature film, ‘Durval Records’, in 2002; it won seven awards at the Gramado Film Festival, including Best Picture. In 2009, she directed her feature, ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’, winner of over 30 international awards. ‘The Second Mother’ (2015), her fourth film, had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival.
Credits
- Director
- Anna Muylaert
- Screenwriter
- Anna Muylaert
- Producer
- Fabiano Gullane, Caio Gullane, Debora Ivanov, Anna Muylaert
- Editor
- Karen Harley
- Music
- Fabio Trummer, Vitor Araújo
- Cinematographer
- Bárbara Alvarez
- Sales Company
- The Match Factory
- Production Company
- Africa Filmes, Globo Filmes, Gullane Filmes
- Set Designer
- Marcos Pedroso, Thales Junqueira
- Distributor
- Moving Turtle
- Cast
- Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli