This was very easy to watch and enjoy. The tribute to women comes from how strong and close these women are. Strong mostly. They are all independent whom work hard for a living and who do not expect a man to take care of them. Raimunda works several jobs, and decides to get another job to care for her husband after he lost his. Sole's husband left two years ago and has never returned. Sole runs a hair salon out of her apartment. This seems to be a source of gossip as well.
Paco tries to rape his daughter Paula telling her that he is not her father, which later in the film we find out this is true. Paula in self-defense accidentally kills Paco with a knife for this. Raimunda was raped by her own father and conceived Paula by that mean. She raises Paula as a daughter, and does not tell her that she is really her "half sister". Raimunda wraps up Paco and puts him in a local restaurant freezer, a few doors down until she decides what to do with the body.
A film crew comes to town and Raimunda breaks a deal to cater for them for extra money.
Aunt Paula has died, whom Raimunda adores because she raised her. With the circumstances that recently occurred she cannot attend the funeral.,Sole must go by herself. When Sole returns from the funeral a voice from the trunk asks her to let her out. This is the voice of her mother Irene ,whom she thinks is a ghost due to the fact that she died in a fire years ago. Irene has packed her luggage and wants to go inside. Sole is in shock that she is speaking to a ghost but misses her mother and lets her stay in her apartment. Irene, to avoid suspicion, washes customers hair and acts as a Russian that does not speak Spanish. Sole asks her mother if she has unfinished business here and why she has not crossed over. Her mother explains that she does, and this is the reason Raimunda hates her so much.
Augustina, a village friend of Aunt Paula calls to tell Raimunda she has cancer. Augustina wants to know if Raimunda has seen her mother's ghost. Augustina's mother disappeared three years ago and wants to know if Irene's spirit knows what her fate is.
Raimunda leaves Paula with Sole so that she can rid herself of Paco's body. Paula, while staying at Sole's meets her grandmother's ghost and grows close to her.
Augustina reveals that Raimund's father was having an affair with Augustina's mother. Augustina also revealed that the same time Raimunda's parents died in a fire, her mother also disappeared.
Sole tells Rainmunda that her mother is at her house. Raimunda is very upset at first but Irene has a chance to tell her the whole story. Raimunda was angry that her mother never knew about the sexual abuse by her own father. Irene explained that when she found out about the abuse, and the affair, she was so angry that she started the fire that killed Raimunda's father and Augustina's mother. Irene then went to into hiding for fear of getting caught, and took care of Aunt Paula as a "ghost".
Irene goes to Augustina's house to care for her as the cancer worsens. Augustina believes that Irene is a ghost and welcomes the care and company. While Irene is at Augustina's house Raimunda goes to her, they embrace and decide they will repair their relationship.
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Susan, These women certainly were very strong in will and tenacity. They dealt with the situations they were in as best they could. As you said, they did not rely on men to take care of them. Again, we see also the strength of family in this culture. Raimunda steadfastly loved her daughter Paula even though she was a product of incest. When Paula killed Paco for trying to molest her, Raimunda did what she needed to do to protect her daughter from further consequences. Sole made a life for herself after her husband left, also keeping close family ties with her sister and Aunt Paula. Irene cared for her sister and lived a life as a "ghost" after she set the hut on fire killing her husband and his lover. Later she devotes herself to caring for Agustina during her final days. Agustina too had cared for Aunt Paula as her health failed. Even Raimunda's friends that help her out as she runs the restaurant are self sufficient women that are willing to pitch in and promote that sense of family.
ReplyDeleteGood points Susan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked this film. It was such a roller coaster of emotions by these strong women who overcome many family tragedies. In the United States I don't think things would have been as they were in this film. We in the US rely more on the justice system to deal with injustices. The Spanish Culture seems to take care of their family issues within there own units. These 3 generations had a lot of skeletons in the closet. Raimunda was hit with realizing her dead mother was in fact alive, her abuse that she had endured by her father. The birth of her child who was in all reality her half sister, and trying to manage the death and cover-up of his death by the hand of her daughter. All of this doesn't dis-rail her. She goes through the film dealing with one issue after another with the strength of a lion and the heart of a mother.
In the film where the mother is discovered by Sole I wasn't very fond of her. As the story un-raveled she became one of my favorite characters. She had real issues and suffered a long time and gave up all she had for what was right. She devoted her life to the care of others. Perhaps this was guilt, but I just think she was "human" with her own flaws.
I JUST LOVED THIS FILM AND THE CHARACTERS AND THE WAY THE PLOT HAD YOU GUESSING ALL THE TIME.