Justina and her daughter Alexia are attempting to maintain the huge house which the former housekeeper inherited from her boss. However, the two indigenous women have zero assets in reserve to pay for the upkeep of the estate – and any money made selling furnishings and cattle is not nearly enough to make ends meet either. On top of that, the former owner’s family regularly descends on the place like a horde of locusts, treating the two like servants in the process. Alexia is fed up and wants to move to the city, where she dreams of working as an auto mechanic and race-car driver.

The film celebrated its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale and received awards at film festivals in San Sebastian, Hong Kong and Guadalajara, included the renowned Horizons Award.

Martín Benchimol, born in 1985, is an Argentine film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. He is a graduate from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), where he teaches Filmmaking at the Documentary Graduate Program. He also collaborates with the Guadalajara International Film Festival as guest director in Doculab. Since 2021 he has been also teaching at the C.C.C. (Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, Mexico) as head of the Documentary Creation Clinic.

Filmography (selection): 2012 THE RIVER PEOPLE, 2017 THE DREAD, 2022 A ROBUST HEART (short film), 2023 THE CASTLE

Awards (selection): Horizons Award (San Sebastian International Film Festival, Spain 2023), Award for Best Documental Cinematography (Guadalajara International Film Festival, Mexico 2023)