The Second Mother

And now for a Jethro first.

This is my first review of a foreign language film. The Second Mother, or Que Horas Ela Volta? (What time will she return?) in its native Portuguese, is Brazil's contestant for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. Will it make the final five? Will it make the semi-final nine? It should.

Val (Regina Casé) is the live-in housekeeper for a São Paulo family. Her employers are rich fashionista Barbara (Karine Teles) and rich layabout Carlos (Lourenço Mutarelli). Val is practically the second mother to son Fabinho (Michel Joelsas). She knows what to do and what not to do after years of working for "Dona" Barbara and co.

One night, Val is called by her daughter, Jessica (Camila Márdila). She needs a place to stay so she can study for her college entrance exam. So she moves in with her mother and employers. Jessica proves herself more a free spirit than her mother. Barbara doesn't like that, but Carlos does. Val reins in Jessica to save face with Barbara. That just irritates Jessica. Mother and daughter will have to fix their relationship somehow.

Writer/Director Anna Muylaert made an involving film about class and worker-family relationships. A rich person lets a poor person work and live with them, but not let them live with them. Don't act like you're family. That's what "Dona" Barbara's rules for Val amount to. We realize, as Jessica knows, that it's unfair for Val to be treated this way. On the other hand, Val's relationship with Fabinho is much more positive. She was there when his parents weren't and he's not messed up. It's sure to remind us of our own good housekeepers.

There's a good view of São Paulo thanks to cinematographer Barbara Alvarez. However, the camera kept running for a few seconds before some scene changes; kept thinking something was gonna happen (sometimes it did). That aside, the night views of the city were good. The interior of "Dona" Barbara and co.'s home looked pretty good too.

Don't let the fact that you have to read subtitles dissuade you. The Second Mother is a universal story of work and family. Its main characters' situations are so universal that anyone can read the subtitles. I'm looking forward to it advancing; Brazil hasn't had an entry in the race since 1998's Central Station!