Clara Sola

The debut by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén focuses on the woman's often unfair and unequal position in a deeply religious society. It tells a story of a sexual awakening and bitter resentment that comes from the rooted beliefs.

Besides spellbinding images it offers an intense emotional perspective of Clara (a role perfectly handled by Wendy Chinchilla Araya) emphasising the importance of freedom of sexual expression, of belonging and not-belonging, and of wide array of desires. Her niece, Maria, has everything that Clara dreams of. Joys of womanhood, sexual contact with a newcomer Santiago, and a relative freedom. Although Clara is obviously jealous of her niece's life, she is not blatantly clear about it, and this envy doesn't destroy their relationship which is full of mutual care, and to some extent also understanding.

In a world where films often compete in a sprint of special effects and high-octane action, "Clara Sola" chooses to meander through the woods at its own mystical pace, and what a delightful amble it is! Director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén takes us on a journey that's less about the destination and more about the sensory experience, like a leisurely walk through a Costa Rican forest, only with less risk of mosquito bites and more spiritual awakenings.

Our protagonist, Clara, played with the ethereal charm of a forest nymph by Wendy Chinchilla Araya, is a 40-year-old woman with the wide-eyed wonder of a child and the simmering rebellion of a teenager. Clara's journey of self-discovery, set against the backdrop of religious and familial constraints, is like watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, except the caterpillar is a middle-aged woman and the butterfly phase involves a lot less flapping and more sensual dancing with the forces of nature. The film's magical realism is so subtle, you'll find yourself wondering if that frog you just saw is indeed a prince or just a really good actor.

Let's not forget the cinematography! Every frame of this film is a love letter to the lush landscapes of Costa Rica, captured with a tenderness that makes you want to hug a tree or at least water your neglected houseplant. "Clara Sola" isn't just a movie; it's a 106-minute meditation session where you emerge feeling slightly more enlightened and with a sudden urge to adopt a horse. If you're in the mood for a film that gently tickles your soul rather than bombards your senses, give this gem a watch. Just a heads-up, you might find yourself spontaneously doing yoga poses by the end!

This is the rather sad story of a middle-aged woman (Clara, Wendy Chinchilla Araya) living with her elderly mother in a rural Costa Rican village, as well as her dead sister's teenaged daughter. Clara is happy communing with nature and the family's horse and understands things through her quiet observations that others don't, and yet, she's mentally challenged, and seriously repressed. Her mother's idea of showing love and protecting her is to deny her a surgery the doctors recommend ("God gave her to me like this"), prop her up as one touched by the Virgin Mary to serve as a faith healer of sorts to the locals, and to put chili pepper on her fingers when she catches her masturbating. It's quite maddening.

We see Clara take steps to control over her identity and sexuality, but it's an uphill battle in this environment. Daniel Castañeda Rincón turns in a strong performance as he niece's boyfriend, who she becomes attracted to, but to director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén's credit, she never settles for easy moments of sexual awakening when lesser films would have done so. Araya channels a purity of soul in the lead character, while at the same time, somehow never idealizing her. It's not clear what she believes about all the Virgin Mary stuff, but she has an extraordinary connection to nature, with a spirituality that feels far more enlightened.

This is a solid effort all around, and the only reason for not rating it higher was how difficult it was to watch what amounted to a claustrophobic form of abuse. Certainly worth seeing though.

The story in 'Clara Sola', which premiered in Cannes in July 2021, takes place in Costa Rica, in a mountain village, located at the edge of a tropical forest whose strength and immensity oppresses. People try to defend themselves by drawing borders and raising fences. Will these become the limits of their own psychological and social prisons? This is the feature film debut of director Nathalie Alvarez Mesen, who lives in Sweden and has studied cinema in Sweden, Germany and the United States. For this film she worked with an international team composed mostly of women. It is a film about women, written and directed by women, made and acted mostly by women. A film with a feminine and feminist theme, a genre in which I have seen more and more productions in recent years. 'Clara Sola' is one of the most interesting of them.

Clara, the heroine of the film, is different from those around her. She is about 40 years old, she suffers from a disease of the spine that causes her physical pain. Her mother refuses the operation that could put an end to these sufferings, because she fears that becoming 'normal' Clara would lose the 'gifts' that make her special - the connection with the Holy Virgin (whose vision she once had) and the ability to you would heal those around you through prayers. Clara has problems communicating with people, she seems to get into dialogue with animals more easily, from bugs to the family's white horse. The closest human being is her 15 years old niece, the daughter of a sister who died, who is at the age of sexual maturity and first love. The coming to age of the niece triggers or revives the desires repressed for a long time in Clara's soul and body. Again, however, her severe mother tries to stifle the late awakening of these feminine instincts. The special being who is Clara will look for ways to free herself from these constraints.

The theme of the woman who tries to break the social and family circles that oppress her passes the screen mainly due to the original approach and the cinematic qualities of the film. Director Nathalie Alvarez Mesen has chosen to cast exclusively non-professional actors, which guarantees authenticity, because the characters do not 'act' but rather seem to live their lives in the presence of cameras. The only one in the cast who comes from the field of arts is Wendy Chinchilla Araya, but she is also not a professional actress but a dancer, and the way she portrays Clara's feelings on the screen is impressive. The cinematography signed by the Swede Sophie Winqvist is great in framing and composition, but the excessive use of scenes that take place in the dark irritated me at some point. The combination of lack of light and rendering of the characters' point of view sometimes leads to confusion about what is happening on the screen. This works for one scene, but not for half of a movie. The confusions of the characters do not necessarily have to be transmitted to the spectators, and if they happen in a scene they do not have to be repeated. This minus apart, 'Clara Sola' is a remarkable debut film, which manages to create an impressive and memorable female character, and Nathalie Alvarez Mesen is a director who deserves to be watched.

One could spend lifetimes learning to see the world the way Clara does. Her intuition for the universe's hidden matrix allows her to vibrate along with its sound. She's attuned to the earth and the soil and is Mother to all the animals who share it. Every creature has a "secret name" that Clara can detect through nature's reverberations. Her distinct gaze suggests a far more piquant view of the world that offsets the rest of the film's conventionality. Her eyes are sunken and fervent; they seem to expose new beauty and meaning all the time. The film excels when we, too, are made to see through them.