STAY SANE

MAMÍFERA

2024 / 93 min / color

40-year-old Lola seems to have everything she needs in life. She’s fulfilled in her job as an art professor, enjoys a loving relationship with her partner Bruno, and has a group of friends who always support her. In Liliana Torres’s film, Lola’s peaceful everyday life changes dramatically when it turns out that her temporary ailment is not a stomach bug, but an unplanned pregnancy in its tenth week. Lola has never seriously considered motherhood, and at first she wants to terminate the pregnancy, supported by her partner. But Spanish law requires women to take 72 hours to consider their decision before making a final choice. Mamífera focuses on these three turbulent days, full of chaos and conflicting emotions. The Spanish director puts her protagonist under pressure. She has to face her own fears and uncertainty, as well as the expectations of her partner and society’s presumption that a woman should find fulfillment as a mother. Torres’ film is a far cry from the kind of bittersweet dramas that tend to deal with this topic. It’s a film firmly rooted in reality, with a highly expressive performance by María Rodríguez Soto in the role of Lola.

• SXSW Film Festival – Special Jury Award