The Second Mother - Latin American Cinema

#DirectedByWomen

Anna Muylaert / 2015 / Brazil / 110 mins

"Regina Casé is a marvel" Little White Lies

"Rare... Savvy, socially conscious crowd pleaser" Variety

After leaving her daughter in a small town in Pernambuco to be raised by relatives, Val spends the next 13 years working as a nanny to Fabinho in São Paulo. She has financial stability but has to live with the guilt of having not raised Jessica herself. As Fabinho’s college entrance exams roll around though, her daughter calls and gives her what seems to be a second chance.

Jessica wants to come to São Paulo to take her college entrance exams as well. Filled with joy as well as apprehension, Val gets ready, with the wholehearted support of her employers, for the long-dreamed moment of being near her daughter again. But when Jessica arrives, cohabitation is not easy. She doesn’t behave in conformity to what is expected of her and starts to create tension inside the household. Everyone will be affected by the girl’s personality and candor. And Val finds herself right in the middle, split between the living room and the kitchen, where she will have to find a new way of facing life.