Saturday, June 25, 2022

Clara Sola: Defines Feminism with Magical Realism in Costa Rica

By José Alberto Hermosillo  

“Clara Sola” is an absorbing sisterhood drama of intrinsic beauty and intricate family bonds conjoined with supernatural elements. It follows the long tradition of magical realism masterworks emanating from Latin America. 

Over the last fifty years, Latin American cinema has pursued an increasing willingness to challenge virtually every aspect of its long-held institutional traditions, such that, by now, a new post-colonial, post-political, post-structural cinema has developed many new critical voices from remarkable filmmakers.

Following this revolutionary impulse, “Clara Sola” joins other essential and fascinating Latin American magical realism classics such as “Erendira,” directed by Ruy Guerra in 1983, based on the novel “The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and her Heartless Grandmother” written by Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez; the Mexican gastronomic delight “Like Water for Chocolate” by Alfonso Arau; the Colombian anti-war movie “The Colors of the Mountain;” the Mexican-Spanish multi-award-winning fantasy “Pan’s Labyrinth” by Guillermo del Toro;” the Oscar nominee existentialist film “Biutiful” by Alejandro Gonzales Iñárritu. And more recently, the 2019 political thriller “La Llorona” by Guatemalan award-winning auteur Jayro Bustamante and the 2020 Netflix period drama “Tragic Jungle” by Yulene Alaizola, set at the border of Belize and Mexico.

Clara Sola vintage poster

The multi-layered fable takes place in a tiny ranch in the remote village of Heredia, near the volcano Poás in Costa Rica, which houses Clara, her mother Fresia, and Maria, her niece. Each woman represents different generations, beliefs, and goals in the story.

The film’s protagonist is Clara, delicately performed by first-time actress Wendy Chinchilla Araya, a dancer now in her first significant acting role. Wendy Chinchilla is in total command of her emotions, projecting confidence to the screen with her penetrating gaze.


Clara has the gift of communicating with nature and animals – from a snake or insect to her beloved tall white horse – she says she works for God, and people believe her, and her mother capitalizes on it. Clara also has a rare spine disease that causes extenuating pain, making her escape from reality. She keeps herself grounded from the deepest recesses of her mind by finding a connection with nature. 

Clara is physically abused by her repressive and religious elder mother, Fresia (Flor Maria Vargas Chavez). Clara’s precocious niece is Maria, played by Ana Julia Porras Espinoza, who is thrilled about her upcoming quinceañera. 

When Maria begins dating Santiago (Daniel Castañeda Rincón), the ranch hand, Clara – a forty-year woman who has never been with a man and is on the eve of her sexual awaking – finds herself in a sea of emotional distress. A newfound hostility overtakes Clara and her niece, partly caused by the twenty-five-year gap between them and the competing desire each feels for the same man.

In “Clara Sola,” the male figure is viewed as a “breeding stallion” who can potentially please both the young teen and the older aunt. In Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1968 drama “Teorema,” the complications are straightforward, and the male lead has premeditated sexual advances on every member of a wealthy Italian family. By contrast, in “Clara Sola,” the circumstance is reversed - women use the rancher only for their pleasure, a very feminist point of view of the film.

Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Festival in LA ©2022
Nathalie Álvarez Mesén , Beverly Hills, California. Photo by José Alberto Hermosillo - FestivalinLA ©2021

First-time director, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, is Stockholm-born but has strong connections to Costa Rica, her mother’s native land. She and her family have lived in the Central American country for some years. She studied Mime Acting in Stockholm and film at Columbia University. She was part of the Berlinale Talents program, the Toronto Film Festival Filmmakers Lab, and the NYFF Artist Academy. With “Clara Sola,” Álvarez Mesén offers an outstanding film debut. She can direct non-professional actors as well as any established director.

Álvarez Mesén worked closely with Colombian co-writer Maria Camila Arias. They juxtaposed personal, vivid images from their childhood to adulthood effortlessly, including some of the most pivotal elements of the film, such as religion, gender roles, machismo, social circles, and inner exploration.

Critic José Alberto Hermosillo, director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Beverly Hills, California - FestivalinLA ©2021

Speaking in perfect Spanish after a private screening in Beverly Hills, Álvarez Mesén informed me that she felt the project grew religiously and spiritually once the shooting began. The site’s mystical atmosphere reflects directly in the movie, and that was when she could feel the meaningful sense of community required for her film. This aura is something that Hollywood hasn’t mastered yet. Foreign directors reflect the community’s cultural elements through more intimate contact with the idiosyncrasy and lifestyle of the locals.

The film, directed, written, photographed, and edited by women, was shot in Costa Rica in 35 days. All editing and post-production took place in Belgium during the pandemic.

Director of Photography Sophie Winqvist Loggins lights up every scene delicately, framing the shots as open windows that can be looked at from the interior to the forest or vice versa, from the exterior into their inner spirit.

Beautifully shot in the exuberant Central American country where Universal Studios made “Jurassic Park,” the Swedish/Costa Rican/Belgium project stood as one of the best films ever made in Costa Rica.

“Clara Sola” was the official Costa Rican entry for the 94th Academy Awards. It premiered at Cannes 2021 Directors’ Fortnight. It won five Guldbagge Awards (Swedish Academy), including Best Film, Director, Cinematography, and Screenplay. It also won Best Picture at various film festivals, such as Cleveland, Nashville, and Denver.


The drama and passion of “Clara Sola” make us appreciate its beauty; the film’s climax is reminiscent of the 1976 cult horror flick “Carrie,” which the director has never seen before making her feature film debut; now, she takes that as a compliment. 

“Clara Sola” is one of those few slightly feminist films presenting a matriarchal lead as a “new normal,” a family that evolves from the traditional macho roles to a more inclusive society. In contrast with the Mexican horror flick “We Are What We Are” of 2010, those questions about who will succeed in the patriarchal family hierarchy are part of the movie’s conflict and reinforced within the dialogues.

“Clara Sola” sees the male lead as a mere accessory for women to use. It is a significant risk and very valid feminist point of view for a young woman director who is now calling the shots with this extraordinary piece of filmmaking. Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s next project is “Three Women” for Showtime.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Laura Pausini: Pleased to Meet You, Recounts the Life of the Italian Megastar Gracefully

By José Alberto Hermosillo

The new documentary on the life of the Italian singer Laura Pausini is an intimate, emotional, and personal portrayal - with much-unseen footage. A total crowd-pleaser!

The documentary is narrated in the first person by the singer herself. The journal presents Laura Pausini as a strong woman with solid family values deeply bonded to her loved ones. The feature emphasizes the international presence of the Italian star and the risks she took to attain everlasting glory in the music industry.
 
 
The non-linear project starts with Laura Pausini winning the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, “Io si/Seen,” from the 2021 picture “The Life Ahead/La vita davanti a sé.” The thirteen-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren, Pausini, and Niccolo Agliardi composed the song. The emotions for the entire Pausini family continue, some of them in Italy, Laura in Los Angeles with her first Oscar nomination.

The daughter of an extraordinary musician and song composer, Pausini’s musical origins began on a fateful day when she missed her train to school. She became inspired to write a song about missing the train while studying ceramics at the art institute Romagna. She was invited to participate in the Sanremo Italian Song Festival at eighteen; she became the youngest contestant to win the competition in 1993.

Greatness and fame came suddenly for the talented Italian teen. She subsequently took the opportunity to sing with the most significant Italian singers, such as Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, and Eros Ramazzotti.
 
“Solitude/The Loneliness” was one of her first international hits. Her first tour was
  Holland, Belgium, and Germany.
 
As her music has allowed her to travel the world, Pausini is familiar with many cultures yet feels closer to the Latin American culture. She started singing Spanish at nineteen and traveled to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico multiple times - developing a special closeness to the Latin people. Her first hit in Spanish was “Se fué/He’s Gone.”
 
After the talented Paolo Carta came into her life, they became family. He had four children from his previous marriage. Laura loves all of them the same, and for a long time, she longed for children of her own, yet it took time to accomplish the long-cherished dream of motherhood until 2013.

Pausini frequently asks herself what she would be doing other than singing if she had not won at Sanremo and muses that she may have become a housewife or architect. She couldn’t imagine other than a singer - there was no plan B.

Based on an idea of her own, the documentary adopted a non-chronological approach, connecting Pausini’s lifestyle in the present day perfectly with her Italian roots. The project also presents Laura Pausini as a trooper, a combative warrior who never gives up, and a sensitive woman full of that special tenderness that characterizes her - always remaining humbly grounded to her culture, family, fans, and close ones.

The narrative showcases the singer as a winning woman who longs for a “normal life.” After so many concerts and tours, Pausini wants to be with her family, friends, and neighbors, just like an average person. 

An important lesson Pausini learned was that music can modify people’s thinking. In this connection, the documentary is subtly underscored, with a minimal amount of screening time of some of the greatest hits, including “Tra te il mare/Between You and the Sea” (my favorite), “Vivimi,” “Inolvidable” and “One More Time.”

For more than thirty years of a successful career, Pausini’s maturity helped her begin producing her records. Her first Grammy came with “Listen.” Instead of basking in the winner’s joy, Pausini sinks into the despair of her loneliness. Alone at the hotel on that glamorous night, she ordered a hamburger, the waiter brought her a bottle of champagne, and the two drank to her accomplishment. Subsequently, Laura won four Latin Grammy Awards.

“Laura Pausini: Pleased to Meet You” focuses exclusively on Pausini’s point of view and provides the viewer a limited vision of her story without reaching out to other people in the industry -  managers, colleagues, song producers, as well as other people who may see the world around her differently.

In terms of editing and breadth of information, the documentary directed by Ivan Cotroneo (“One Kiss,” “Kryptonite!”), Is an emotional roller coaster appealing to the vast majority of viewers? Nevertheless, it doesn’t attain the mastery of other award-winning music documentaries that focus on women singers. For instance, Asif Kapadia’s “Amy” on the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse; Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” on the tragic life of the Mexican-American legend; or R. J. Cutler’s “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” a film on the teen sensation who took the world by storm. However, the charm of the Italian singer is sure to please everyone, even if we don’t speak Italian.

Streaming now on Prime Video, “Laura Pausini: Pleased to Meet You” invites American audiences to get to know one of Italy’s most famous singers, a charismatic woman with a prodigious voice who has conquered it all, including herself.

Film critic Jose Alberto Hermosillo and Italian singer Laura Pausini at a Christmas autograph signing in Los Angeles. FestivalinLA ©2016.

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IF YOU ARE READING THIS FROM A MOBILE DEVICE, CLICK: view web version FOR OTHER COOL FEATURES SUCH AS TRANSLATE POWERED BY GOOGLE, THE INTERACTIVE FILM FESTIVAL CALENDAR, AND MORE AWESOME ARTICLES.

Festival in LA © 2022