The story
In 1940s Lima, a Catholic all girls' boarding school stands on top of a cliff facing the ocean. Ana, 16, has always been the leader of the school. Devoted to religion, she secretly mortifies herself with the dream of one day becoming holy. But the sudden arrival of Rebecca, a rebellious and restless foreign girl, threatens Ana's perfect world. Jealousy, envy and uncontrollable passions are about to explode in this female, adolescent and repressed universe.
Director's Note
With this film, I'm interested in exploring the ambivalence inherent to female adolescence, where good and evil often blur together. I want to portray that silent, grey universe where envy, admiration, and sexual awakening blend chaotically. I'm also intrigued by the religious context in Latin America; confronting the Catholic religion as a mixture of fervor, authoritarianism and emotional control, creating an atmosphere where the spiritual and the earthly coexist in tension, and where the fear of sin, guilt, and submission to a patriarchal structure are part of everyday life.
Characters
Rebecca:
She is Mexican and arrives at the boarding school in the middle of the school year. With a dark complexion and messy hair, she has an intense ironic gaze and a contagious free laugh. Captivating, manipulative and extremely sensual, Rebecca is a femme fatale who likes to play with fire. Due to her father being a diplomat, she has traveled around the world and is therefore much more sophisticated than the rest of her classmates. She immediately becomes the center of attention; and although she seems like a very confident girl, Rebecca is deep down terribly sad and lonely, she lacks the affection of her father and has never had real friends.
Ana:
Extremely thin, only child of Catholic parents. At the age of ten, the Virgin appears to Ana and she immediately receives the stigma of the holy girl, a role that she embodies perfectly. The first of her class, obedient, with a sincere look and a sweet smile, she has always been the star of the boarding school. What no one knows is that Ana brings with her a dark past. In secret, she performs severe mortifications with the hope of one day becoming a saint. Due to this, the lack of food, the insomnia and probably also the childhood trauma of her past, Ana has hallucinations that she takes for mystical visions and she is sure that her destiny is beatification.
Crowdfunding
We're launching our fundraising campaign. The money will support the film's production design, which will help us reconstruct the 1940s era in Lima.
Technical Info
Genre: Drama / Psychological thriller
Language: Spanish / French
Duration: 95 minutes
Countries: Peru / Mexico / Switzerland
Location: Lima, Perú
Shooting start: July 2025
National development fund - Ministry of Culture, Peru 2018
Storylines Lab - Cine Qua Non Lab, Mexico 2019
CNC award to the best film project - BAL LAB, France 2021
HerArts Film Lab, Italy 2022
CTT award - Coproduction Meeting at the FICG, Mexico 2022
National production fund - Ministry of Culture, Peru 2022
Coproduction fund - Ibermedia 2023
Winner of the fiscal incentive - EFICINE, Mexico 2024
Production Fund - Federal Office of Culture, Switzerland 2024
Zurich Regional Fund, Switzerland 2025
