Part of SFFILM Festival
The Chambermaid
Description
Twenty-four-year-old Evelia cleans rooms at an upscale Mexico City hotel while taking advantage of its adult education program in her off hours. Though introverted and task-focused, she becomes drawn into the lives of several guests and coworkers, trading duties with Minitoy, an outgoing and ribald woman, and shyly flirting through glass with a handsome window washer. Set exclusively within the hotel, its rooms (both before and after Evelia’s handiwork) and back corridors, The Chambermaid perfectly and poignantly details its protagonist’s life and work with deft cinematography and a script that makes every word count.
“Avilés allows her picture to develop gradually, as we get a sense of the side commerce and systems in place that keep the hotel running, from Tupperware and hand cream sales to the promise held by a forgotten red dress that Eve hopes will soon be relinquished to her by lost property. Cartol’s measured performance, meanwhile, contrasts beautifully with the much more flamboyant display by Teresa Sánchez as Eve’s joking fellow maid Minitoy. This is a quiet movie, which never loses its focus on its central character study, while allowing points about economic and social inequalities to sound out loud and clear.” – Amber Wilkinson, Eye For Film
Lila Avilés originally developed The Chambermaid for the theater. A self-taught filmmaker, she previous made a short, Déjà vu (2016). The Chambermaid is her first feature.
Film Details
Year 2019
Language Spanish
Runtime 102
Country Mexico/USA
Director Lila Avilés
Producer Romy Tatiana Graullera, Lila Avilés
Writer Lila Avilés, Juan Carlos Marquéz
Editor Omar Guzmán
Cinematographer Carlos Rossini
Cast Gabriela Cartol, Teresa Sánchez
Print Source Kino Lorbergswindoll@kinolorber.comkinolorber.com
Original Language Title La camarista
