Elena
Latin American Docs • 1h 22m
Directed by Petra Costa • Documentary • With Petra Costa, Elena Andrade • 2012 • 80 minutes
Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra, her seven year old sister. Two decades later, Petra also becomes an actress and goes to New York in search of Elena. She only has a few clues about her: home movies, newspaper clippings, a diary and letters. At any moment Petra hopes to find Elena walking in the streets in a silk blouse. Gradually, the features of the two sisters are confused; we no longer know one from the other. When Petra finally finds Elena in an unexpected place, she has to learn to let her go.
“It is a bold plunge into painful memories, unasked questions and wounds still inflamed. It is, in short, crying in the form of a movie, but also an embrace of comfort. While trying to (re)discover the sister that died when she was only seven years old, director Petra Costa finds herself and, in part, her own mother. In the process, she involves the audience thanks to her openness, which allows us to glimpse, in melancholy, the journey of a young and talented director toward the catharsis that will require so much pain to occur.” —RogerEbert.com
Up Next in Latin American Docs
-
The Pearl Button
Directed by Patricio Guzmán • Documentary • 2014 • 82 minutes
The ocean contains the history of all humanity. The sea holds the voices of the Earth and those that come from outer space. Water receives impetus from the stars and transmits it to living creatures. Water, the longest border in Chile...
-
The Other Side of The Wall
Directed by Pau Ortiz • Documentary • 2017 • 68 minutes
As their mother is imprisoned under dubious charges, and the father is non-existent, Ale (18) and Rocio (13) are faced with the greatest challenge possible. They promise each other to keep the family together - especially for their smaller ...
-
108 (Cuchillo de Palo)
Directed by Renate Costa Perdomo • Documentary • 2010 • 91 minutes
When Rodolfo Costa was found naked on the floor of his home in Paraguay, he had been dead for days. Though ostensibly jobless, he had mysteriously amassed a small fortune. He also had a secret alias-Hector Torres-and a secret lif...