Forastera

Cata (Zoe Stein) might look a lot like her younger sister Eva (Martina García), but their similarities are superficial compared to those that exist between Cata and their grandmother Catalina (Marta Angelat).

Cata and Eva are spending the summer vacation with Catalina and grandfather Tomeu (Lluís Homar) in their home in Mallorca, in the Catalan Mediterranean, with unparalleled views of the endless blue sea and unrepeatable sunsets. The sisters have a lot of time on their hands and not a care in the world — until tragedy strikes and their universe is hit by the loss of grandma Catalina. That is where this beautifully constructed and sensitive piece of cinema truly begins.

The rushed arrival of their mother Pepa (Núria Prims) helps assuage the kids, but the bereft Tomeu is not taking it so well. And so Cata begins slowly fading into the role of Catalina, for which she seems uncannily prepared. First she slips into one of grandma’s unique vintage dresses, then she begins filling the emotional void left by her unexpected passing, which further stirs the pain and unsaid family resentments, but ends up bringing about the long-awaited healing they need.

Far from narrative gimmicks or heavy handedness, director Lucía Aleñar Iglesias relies for her deeply affecting feature debut on a subtle screenplay, where every carefully observed detail matters, just as it does in the painstakingly textured home where most of the drama happens.

DIANA CADAVID