Belated

After getting out of rehab, Joaquín visits his cousin Elena on the tobacco plantation where she lives with her husband. Joaquin has just come out of a long period of crisis in his life, and his past is a cause of concern. He likes to paint and write, but it is obvious that something is out of whack and makes him want to disappear. Elena’s marriage is hanging by a thread worn down by routine and her husband’s long working hours. Joaquín’s arrival to the farm will interrupt this routine triggering unexpected events. While comparisons with Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Teorema are inevitable, Deshora does not end on the same pessimistic note nor does it have the destructive force of the Italian film. Because we know so little about the characters in this love triangle, the discovery of the darker sides of their psyches comes as a surprise, without defying the internal logic of the narrative. Selected to compete in the Panorama section of the 2013 Berlin Film Festival, María Ucedo offers us yet again, a memorable performance with her subtly ambiguous characterization of Elena.