The Second Mother
If you’ve seen Sebastian Silva’s acclaimed Chilean feature The Maid (2009), you might find The Second Mother a little familiar. Like The Maid, this Brazilian feature is a pointed comedy of manners about a domestic worker who’s lived with an upper-class family for so long that she’s come to define herself through them. As in The Maid, a newcomer to the household threatens the veteran’s stable position; the maid responds anxiously at first but ends up rediscovering her identity and growing from the experience. Writer-director Anna Muylaert even advances a perspective reminiscent of Silva’s, sympathizing with her characters but noting how ingrained class prejudices shape their behavior. Her visual style is more rigorous than Silva’s, though; for much of the film the camera never moves, emphasizing the meticulous, even suffocating mise-en-scene. Sometimes the luxurious settings seem like a prison, which is a fitting visual metaphor for the trapped heroine. Continue reading >>
By Ben Sachs
Credits
Director:
- Anna Muylaert
Cast:
- Regina Casé
- Michel Joelsas
- Lourenço Mutarelli
- Karine Teles
- Camila Márdila
Producers:
- Claudia Büschel
- Caio Gullane
- Fabiano Gullane
- Débora Ivanov
- Gabriel Lacerda
- Anna Muylaert
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In The Second Mother, a family maid panics when her own daughter joins the household
Anna Muylaert directed this Brazilian comedy about class struggle in a wealthy home.
- Sep 17, 2015
