Here’s a film that all of us (one way or another along the generational divide) will have to face at some point during our life on the planet. As aging moves relentlessly forward, few of us remain as spry or mentally alert as we were. Physical calamites can slow us down, often literally as walkers and stair glides are needed, but it can often be the mental deterioration that sends our loved ones into a tailspin as the once leaders in their lives begin to lose sense of self, place and understanding of the world around them.
In Endara’s skillful hands (along with co-writer Pilar Moreno), essentially a two-hander drama unfolds in Panama City. The wealthy family’s matriarch Mechi (given a superb portrayal by Paulina García) has come to the point that a caregiver (at first 6 days a week then live-in 24/7) Ana Maria (with visual expressions as telling as her dialogues, Jenny Navarette readily carries the production from first meeting to the last “jam is disgusting” moment) bravely outlasts her charge’s initial reticence to become bosom buddies, magically linked by petty thefts (imagined or real).
Lurking in the narrative weeds is Mechi’s too-busy-to-have-time-to-care daughter, Jemina (cooly done by Juliette Roy) and all-seeing (well almost all…there is a secret in the house) housekeeper Christina (a fine, no-nonsense performance from Syddia Ospina).
Those who crave a fast-moving, action-packed narrative won’t last 10 minutes. For the rest of us, the leisurely pace, sparse dialogue and inventive cutaways to insects on the orchids, and look-don’t-squawk parrots will savour every moment and revelation. But more than that, this film could well become a primer for any family who has or will soon face the ravages of dementia from a loved one who will never be quite the same as they used to be. And, naturally, sooner or later many of us will be on the opposite side of that difficult divide. JWR