The funeral of Maria’s (Sonia Couoh) estranged mother is what brings her to San Mateo. She is the first of three seemingly disparate characters whose lives are destined to intersect over the course of the town’s long holiday weekend celebration. After her father stops short of physically ejecting her from the funeral — he blames his wife’s death on Maria’s love for another woman — Piedad (Eileen Yañez) arrives and, not wishing for Maria to freeze to death, insists that she spend the night. The nature of their relationship is soon made clear. “Where’s the father?” is Maria’s first question. The long patch of silence that ensues is broken with, “You kept it?” This is followed by a scene of intense lovemaking, a long post-coital silence, and a hushed breakfast with the baby. Just when it couldn’t get any quieter, María announces she’s leaving tomorrow and asks Piedad to join her. You probably won’t catch on the first time through, but somewhere around the 16-minute mark, our three principles are brought together in the same time and space for the first time, with Toña (Myriam Bravo) and her mother taking over Maria’s spot as funeral procession caboose and Esteban on clarinet, entertaining both revelers and mourners alike. As if to compensate for the stretches of silence that open the picture, music (performed live) underscores much of the film. It’s an important part of Esteban’s life. The first person he goes to meet upon arriving back in town after a three-year absence is not his wife Chabela (Aida López) or his children, but fellow musician Nato (Noé Hernández). Profitable employment is scarce in San Mateo, hence the time spent making a living in another town to support his family. Esteban reasons that instruments, like women, can only be played by the owner. But in his absence, his neglected wife Chabela has come under new ownership. His own mother chimes in, “You stayed away too long, son,” to which he responds by assigning blame on her for not looking after Chabela in his absence. A town council has final jurisdiction over the couple’s fate. A call is put out for the citizenry to meet in the town square, where the matter of Esteban’s “troubles at home” will be publicly arbitrated and ruled on. The film’s third wheel is easily its most problematic. A young Toña was sexually abused by her uncle while Mom looked the other way. Knowing that, it’s impossible to comprehend why a mother would years later place her daughter in the same care of her abusers. Ángeles Cruz, an actress making her writing and directing debut on a feature, knows how to layer the setup, but the payoff was quite the head-scratcher. (2021) — Scott Marks
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