La influencia

A deeply moving and disturbing film about a young mother's decent into ever deeper depression and delusion, increasing leaving her two young children to fend for themselves and to try to make some sense out of what is happening to their mother.

Paloma Morales is powerfully effective as the tortured mother, seeming dangerous at moments, heartbreakingly lost at others, and with a hope of normalcy now and again.

With the film's simple, spare, astringent style, as critics have noted there are echoes of Bresson and the Chantal Akerman of 'Jeanne Dielman…', but this felt less self-conscious, more anchored in sad reality to me.