High-powered, no-nonsense public sector attorney and doting single mother Silvia Paz (writer and academic Carolina Sanín in a stunning debut) lives an enviable life in her downtown Bogota high-rise. She’s well trained in the art of verbal sparring thanks to her cantankerous, combative and chain-smoking mother Leticia (Leticia Gómez), and a new, unexpected romance with radio journalist Abel (Vladimir Durán) shows promise. But after being accused of misappropriation of public funds at the same time her mother’s cancer returns, Silvia’s charmed life is suddenly hurled into chaos. With Leticia defiantly refusing further treatment, her corrupt supervisor quick to throw her under the bus, and Abel’s less-than-admirable qualities starting to emerge, Silvia finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads, stretched to her breaking point in writer/director Franco Lolli’s raw, tender and achingly honest second feature that opened 2019 Cannes Critics’ Week.

Winner: Gold Hugo, Chicago

In competition for the Ibero-American Award