THEMOVIES

Costa Rican filmmaker Kim Torres´ first feature is a gorgeous, slow-burn exploration of girlhood and coming-of-age, set amongst the lush greenery of a small, rural village. 13-year-old Laura (Laura Yuja) and her older brother, Esteban (José Gabriel Guzmán Rodriguez), have just moved from the city to live with their mother´s boyfriend and his young daughter Gabi (Valentina Chavez Jiménez). Navigating an often-confusing new family structure, all the while coming to terms with her own shifting sense of self, Laura takes solace in a dynamic new friendship with the older and more worldly Daniela (Keylin Delgado). But when she hears rumours of otherworldly forces and dead women showing up in the river near the village, her inner turmoil begins to spill outward, imbuing her surroundings with a shadowy, menacing darkness.