Clara Sola

Clara Sola is quite a tour de force.

It is the first feminist movie I have watched in which the men (Santiago and Fran) are actually not toxic and mean at all. The social and religious norms are mostly enforced by the main female characters.

The film combines a political and sociological perspective with the esoteric beauty of magical realism. The spectator oscillates between contemplation, empathy and anger throughout the plot.

Clara Sola reminded me a little bit of Ixcanul and El Abrazo de la Serpiente. The main actress gives an unforgettable performance.

Clara Sola is an extraordinary, exquisite, polished gem of a film which clearly radiates, not a Bergmanesque but a Bergman redux quality in its film work, acting, direction, gripping emotional pull and symbolism. Like many of Bergman films it is about reaction to traditional values which attempt to constrain vitality and cause deep distress as the confines are tested and broken. The main distinctions are two, the setting in a peasant community in Costa Rica instead of an aristocratic set of high class artists and that it is directed by a woman who centers the film in the world of women struggling with women's problems. It is one of the best.

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.

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!