The Chambermaid by Lila Avilés
The Mexican film The Chambermaid / La camarista, the debut feature by director Lila Avilés, was announced today as the winner of the Best First Film at the 7th edition of the Platino Awards. This year’s ceremony of the Ibero-America's annual film awards scheduled for early May was cancelled and instead the announcements were streamed online.
A poignant and delicate class portrait, The Chambermaid follows Eve—played by the wonderful Gabriela Cartol—a young chambermaid working in one of the most luxurious hotels in Mexico City, an exclusive glass tower inhabited by wealthy guests whose lives she imagines by their belongings left behind and absence. Long, laborious shifts prevent her from caring for her child as she helps guests with their own children, but she believes she can better her situation after she’s promoted to work at executive-level suites, for which she accepts a grueling schedule. In keeping with desire to improve her lot, she also enrolls in the hotel’s adult education program.
An incipient friendship with her coworker and an awkward, silent flirtation with a window-washer prod her toward much needed bravery. When things don’t result as planned, Eve transforms her solitary explorations and newfound courage into the strength to face a life outside the high-class prison that’s entrapped her, breaking rules and discovering herself.
The Brazilian film The Edge of Democracy / Democracia em Vertigem was the winner of the Platino Award Best Documentary. Both a political documentary and personal memoir, Petra Costa’s film offers an exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
Other Latin American winners at the 7th edition of the Platino Awards were Carol Duarte for Best Actress for her role of Eurídice in the Brazilian film Invisible Life / A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão by Karim Aïnouz; the Colombian film Monos by Alejandro Landes received the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Sound; and the Costa Rican film The Awakening of the Ants / El despertar de las hormigas, the debut feature by Antonella Sudasassi, was presented with the Film and Education Values Award.
