Lina de Lima (Maria Paz Gonzalez,2019) : Chile, Peru, Argentina

Reviewed by Maria Loza. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

Lina de lima is a story about a divorced mother who leaves her home in Peru to work for a wealthy family in Chile, and she had to leave behind her son who’s now grown up into an adolescent. Now she is planning a trip to visit her son for Christmas but he seems to care more about his Christmas present than seeing his mother. Then she runs into trouble when her boss’s pool is damaged by her recklessness. This is a story about her deciding to explore herself and pursuing her desires.

The story doesn’t really have a three-part act but instead just seems to follow Lina as she goes through her days as a housekeeper. It might seem like this isn’t the most exciting film but it is a story that seems very real. It’s a story that some may relate to, especially in the Latino community. I think it can also relate to others because it also portrays the feeling of isolation and sadness. It’s apparent that Lina felt like no one was waiting for her return, her son is growing up now and he seems more occupied with other things in his life than reuniting with his mom, and her ex-husband is now married and having kids. Lina realizing this leads her to go out of her comfort zone and explore herself. 

This film does have a goal-oriented storyline, of Lina wanting to see her son again but the ending is open though because there never really is a resolution and the film never shows what truly happened to lima, whether she made a new life for herself, saw her sin again or if she just stayed in chile. 

The cinematography throughout the film had a cold color scheme. Much of the colors seemed dull and the atmosphere seemed gloomy in many scenes. I think it added to the isolation that Lina feels in her life. She doesn’t have friends and much of the time she spends working.

This film also has an aspect that you never really see in films and that is the inclusion of music and songs. There are various scenes throughout the film that has Lina singing in different costumes. These songs seem to spring up in times when Lina hits another struggle in her life whether it be missing her family, feeling lonely, or the lack of romance in her life. I think these were included to express moments when she felt emotionally distressed and it’s also in moments when she decides to go after her desires to be in her life. 

I would recommend this film because it is a nice film that shows the struggle of a single mother trying to support herself and her son while struggling with the fact that she misses her family. It does get you emotionally invested and it’s heartbreaking to see Lina all alone struggling to come to terms with her loneliness.