Ana Endara, who sometimes gets working credits as Ana Endara Mislov, graced festival screens by co-directing the documentary For Your Peace of Mind, Make Your Own Museum. Two years after that film, she returned with a solo project. She’s also shifting from documentary to fiction with Querido Tropico or Beloved Tropic, about a Colombian immigrant, Ana Maria (Jenny Navarrete). Normally working in hospitals, she shifts towards home care after a rich mestiza, Jimena (Juliette Roy), needs someone to care for her mother, Mercedes (Paulina Garcia). She feels kind of safe around Mercedes especially because she harbors a secret. Mercedes may tell Jimena the truth but that may not matter as her condition has its highs and its lows.
Beloved Tropic may be a film that builds itself on cliche but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. As a (bad) feminist ally, I can see that its message has specific aspects of it that only women can understand. But its concerns are equally relatable, as human self-perception has a lot to do with ‘usefulness’. Once that runs out we’re at the mercy of younger generations, most of whom will not be a reassuring presence in our lives. The film shows this, say, during Mercedes’ party where she can’t blow her own candles. It’s good, then, that Mercedes has Ana and, to a certain extent, Jimena on her side when she needs them. These three actresses are good but it’s Garcia’s portrayal of power and vulnerability that makes this worth watching.
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 9/8/2024
- Directed by: Ana Endara Mislov
- Starring: Jenny Navarrete, Juliette Roy, Paulina García
- Produced by: Isabella Gálvez
- Written by: Ana Endara Mislov, Pilar Moreno
- Studio: Big-Sur Películas, Mansa Productora, Mente Pública
