Paulina lives comfortably, the daughter of a prominent left-wing judge, herself a student of law with a political career on the horizon. Eager to put her principles to action, however, she leaves all this behind to take up a teaching position in a border-region of northern Argentina, among an indigenous community mired in extreme poverty. Despite her best intentions, Paulina's Guarani-speaking students at turns resist and actively subvert her civics lessons. When walking home late one night Paulina is attacked by a group of local boys, setting her on a collision course between her and her family's expectations of justice.
With a powerhouse performance by Dolores Fonzi as the epynomous character, Paulina examines a radical form of feminism that probes the limits of social justice in contemporary Argentina. Santiago Mitre's third narrative feature premiered in the Cannes Film Festival's Critics’ Week, where it won Best Film and the FIPRESCI Prize; Turin, where it won Best Feature Film; Miami, where it won the Grand Jury Prize; Lima, where it won Best Screenplay; and San Sebastián, where it won the Horizons Award.
PAULINA / LA PATOTA
A film by Santiago Mitre
(Argentina/Brazil/France, 2015, 103 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Now streaming on Filmatique, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV, and YouTube
Watch the trailer:
