Amor de família

Rara is about Sara, a 13-year-old girl in a town in Chile, who lives with her mother, her younger sister, and her mother's lesbian lover.

The film follows Sara as she navigates the usual perils of puberty and of growing up after a divorce. Sara tries to make sense of her world and gain some sort of control over it by playing her mother against her father, unwittingly setting off a legal battle that may destroy what little remains of her home.

Rara is full of sharp observations of family dynamics. Sara's squabbles with her pesky, insecure sister are totally believable. So are the grown-ups' reactions as the stress builds.

All the performances of the actresses (and the one actor) are excellent, except for Sara's best friend, who is merely good. Two of them, Sara and the mother's lover, are perfect.

The photography is clear and well-lighted and as sharp as the observations.

My only negatives about this film are that it was a bit too slow, the takes were too long, and that nothing really happens in it: the legal story takes place off-screen.