User Reviews

The accident has changed her life. But it is the way that others behave with her that has changed the most. The film explores the fragile balance between condescension and cruelty that the closest people to a sick or wounded person often go through. An environment that is not really ready for that change. But who is? Deep down they all want what is best for her. Wishes that are not made strongly enough. That do not come true due to lack of energy or vocation. The world demands Geni to make an effort, to recover the Geni that she was before the accident, to behave. But it is the world that does not strive or behave. The film is explained efficiently through a clear, Frenchlike cinematographic language. But the important thing about this movie is the enormous acting by Nora Navas. The simplicity and clarity of her role allows us to observe the universe from Geni's eyes. From the indeterminate position of a woman who, far from living up to her old standards (middle-aged white woman, professional-liberal middle class), embraces a new world. She has awakened as a carefree girl, with a naked gaze. Facing her, a display of egos that turn out to be more demanding with her than with themselves. Everyone disputes the role of victim. No one wants Geni to monopolize pain. She is not the center of anything. She's off camara. Should she face the bitter assumption of this new reality or should she redeem herself from it? Hostility ends up turning her into the heroine of a perfect ending.

In a tragedy, when one is reduced to a mere fragment of themselves, often comes the awareness of inner powers and jewels. Geni, recovering from a traumatic car accident, begins to question her relatives and friends, and chase passions that she never dared to before. The realizations come to her gradually, yet with steadfastness and conviction. Bartering away her wedding ring in exchange for cab fare is only the beginning. Those who try to convince Geni that she has few options, and want to keep her in a box built for themselves, do not know the true Geni. They are not aware of her newfound truths. One of these truths, and perhaps the most potent one, is that life is beautiful because it is unpredictable. Director Mar Coll admirably lets the characters tell the stories and makes them more balanced and real. Nora Navas' performance is masterful and effective. Coll's film is unpredictable, moving and powerful. Seen at the 2014 Miami International Film Festival.