Que horas ela volta? makes my list of the top five films I've seen in 2017. It is a wonderfully crafted film which explores the intricacies of classism and sexism through the lens of a very likable and extremely caring protagonist. Val, a live-in maid nanny for a very rich family of three in São Paulo, leads a very routine life, cleaning, cooking and caring for her employer's son. Unfortunately, in order to do this and make a living she had to leave her daughter in the care of her friends and relatives back home in the North. Years go by without seeing Jéssica, and eventually a falling out occurs—even communication via telephone has ceased. Then, out of the blue, Val receives a call from Jéssica; she's coming to São Paulo in order to take placement exams to enter into one of the most elite universities in the country. Val is excited and prepares her a space in her room, with a new mattress bought by Dona Barbara, the mistress of the home. Unfortunately, everything doesn't go as Val plans. Chaos rules the day as the independent Jéssica clashes with social norms and the inherent inequality of her mother's position in the world.
The story-line of this film was not the only aspect of it which I enjoyed. Overall the acting, the political commentary, the cinematography and the emotional clarity of the movie drew me in. As a person from a place with very strict class distinctions and social rules to regulate interactions between classes, I found both Val's worries and Jéssica's hatred of the inequality she saw to be believable and relatable. If I were to pick any movie to show someone to introduce them to Latin American cinema, I would use this movie. It is a testament to the cinematographic abilities of Brazil and of its director Anna Muylaert.
The story-line of this film was not the only aspect of it which I enjoyed. Overall the acting, the political commentary, the cinematography and the emotional clarity of the movie drew me in. As a person from a place with very strict class distinctions and social rules to regulate interactions between classes, I found both Val's worries and Jéssica's hatred of the inequality she saw to be believable and relatable. If I were to pick any movie to show someone to introduce them to Latin American cinema, I would use this movie. It is a testament to the cinematographic abilities of Brazil and of its director Anna Muylaert.