The elderly heir of a formerly wealthy and respected Chilean family, Andres, suffers from decadence and solitude. He hires young Estela in order to look after his tiranic and almost crazy grandmother. The differences in class and age don't stop Andres from courting Estela, whose fiancé Mario tries to make some money with the passions of his well-off rival. The suffocating atmosphere of the run-down mansion in the outskirts of Santiago represents the deterioration of the bourgeoisie, and sets the scene for the total collapse of Andres.
Cinematography
The mansion breathes rot—every frame is a coffin.
Acting
María Cánepa's grandmother: terrifying fragility.
Production
The house is the real protagonist.
Director
Silvio Caiozzi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Chile's 'New Cinema' movement examining Pinochet-era class fractures through family decay.
Caiozzi spent years securing the actual crumbling mansion—refusing sets because the real rot was 'unfakeable.'
CL
