No Lugar da Outra

Even the Chilean national poet Gabriela MISTRAL (1889 - 1957), who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, stood up for her convicted fellow writer.

In 1955, a sensational scandal occurred in Santiago de Chile. In the Hotel Crillon, the writer Maria Carolina Geel (Francisca LEWIN) shot her lover out of the blue. By chance, the court clerk Mercedes Arevalo (Elisa ZULUETA), who works for the investigating judge, comes into contact with this case. It turns out that she receives the keys to the defendant's luxurious apartment. This opens up a new world for the inconspicuous Mercedes, who is not taken entirely seriously by her husband (Pablo MACAYA) and two sons. Surrounded by beautiful things and in heavenly peace, Mercedes begins to rethink her own life and consider new horizons possible.

A quiet and beautiful narrative film from Chile, which is somewhat reminiscent of the Italian blockbuster TOMORROW IS ALSO ANOTHER DAY / C E ANCORA DOMANI by and starring Paola CORTELLESI. EL LUGAR DE LA OTRA by Maite ALBERDI was selected by Chile as a candidate for the OSCAR for Best International Film.

As chilean I felt so proud of this movie. The story is factual and accurate (except for the main character, that is). The author and the book are one of our dear readings, so I felt moved, and prompt to learn more about the background. Little did I know about Maria Carolina Geel and her own deeds at the time, and how Gabriela Mistral gave her a hand to set her free. Same as in the film, I don't believe that any woman close to the culture can feel uninvited somehow, and being dragged to experience a bit of the same sorority . The movie is pleasure to watch, well written and narrated; calm and introspective. Some criticism can be harsh, but quite real and again, accurate. At some point, there was a fight inside of me with the main character, but I couldn't help being absorbed by a recurrent call for compassion that leaves so much space for self expression. Many arguments were constructed subtlety, yet that wasn't the true intention. Not even the main trigger was relevant. The movie moves on a different layer, far from the mainstream. If you are looking for an experience rather than mere entertainment, this might be your option.

I watched this movie on Netflix, expecting a conventional crime drama. I was surprised to discover a sensitive, complex and accurate film. The characters, based on a real case, are designed in a subtle, but powerful way, by the actors and the director. The film is not satisfied with just bringing the story to the viewer, but also manages to formulate an interesting statement on the feminist issue, referring to Chile in the 1950s. The main actress, in the role of Mercedes, plays a complex and multi-layered character, and she does it very successfully, in my opinion, on the one hand, she plays a restrained and introverted role, but at the same time she manages to express the drama that takes place inside her in an impressive way and is highly recommended.

Watched this dubbed version and am now convinced I need to watch it in the original Spanish, which I imagine (I hope!) provides the texture, the sensuality, the richness that is sorely lacking in the English dubbing. Production values are uncommonly high which give the film its consistently stunning appeal. I won't comment on the acting because it was so compromised by the dubbing...why isn't the voice actors' work of a higher caliber, one befitting the story and the production?

An integral storyline is buried until near the end: The writer Geel's criminal act is a 'copycat' of one committed by the more famous Chilean author María Luisa Bombal. The film's title-and indeed, entire narrative-takes on greater resonance when that fact is underscored, which it's not in this film, except for a fleeting reference toward the film's end. The titular phrase, "in her place," makes more sense when that factual, fascinating detail is revealed-too late, unfortunately. Why did Geel follow in Bombal's footsteps, criminally speaking? Was she trying to accrue to herself some of the more famous writer's biographical reality (and allure)--just as Mercedes temporarily takes on aspects of Geel's glamorous, glittery life? There is so much exceptionally rich terrain that was left uncovered by the filmmaker here!

We've got plenty of feminist work in cinema but this story of intruding takes an honest look at the past. It reminds us how social immobility and income inequality is as old as gender disparity. While we celebrate what was allowed to us the question remains as to what happened to the other two battle fronts. While confinement become a home away for one, The other gets pushed into squatting and ideologically they cross paths to shed one layer of shackles. Flawless acting by the cast. Great cinematography and music. El Luga De La Otra is a radical movie that reminds both women and men of unfinished business.