ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

costa rican films

Reviews 

CLARA SOLA – Review by Loren King

Loren King , , , , , ,

The unique and wholly original Clara Sola is a gorgeous, finely etched character study about the title character, a mature woman with physical and mental limitations who rebels against repression by her mother and her environment, a lush and mysterious Costa Rican forest. The magnificent Wendy Chinchilla Araya, making her movie debut, plays the childlike Clara who lives with her niece María (Ana Julia Porras Espinoza) and her religious mother Fresia (Flor María Vargas Chaves).

Read more
Reviews 

CLARA SOLA – Review by Leslie Combemale

Leslie Combemale , , , , ,

It seems Alvarez Mesén and her co-screenwriter Maria Camila Arias aim to articulate the challenge of women living in a society that prioritizes god above man, man above woman, and mankind above nature, all through Clara. They were lucky to find Wendy Chinchilla Araya to collaborate in that articulation. It is a lot of responsibility to put on someone for their first acting role, yet she brings an elemental ferocity and tenderness to the character. Chinchillla Araya shows us Clara’s internal dance, in her fearful interactions with humans and her fearless interactions with animals. Her connection to the elements is always in evidence. She is not just of nature, but is nature. In that way, both the character and the film as a whole are a powerful expression of the divine feminine.

Read more
Reviews 

CLARA SOLA – Review by Liz Whittemore

Liz Whittemore , , , , ,

Clara is an isolated and sexually repressed 40-year-old woman who has a curious and mysterious bond with nature and the divine. When she’s pushed to her limits, escape is the only remedy. In a creative screenplay from director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén and co-writer Maria Camila Arias, where dialogue is both literal and figurative, Clara Sola is a beautiful new addition to the roster of feminist features.

Read more
Reviews 

CLARA SOLA – Review by Leslie Combemale

Leslie Combemale , , , ,

It seems writer/director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén and her co-screenwriter Maria Camila Arias aim to articulate the challenge of women living in a society that prioritizes god above man, man above woman, and mankind above nature, all through Clara. They were lucky to find Wendy Chinchillla Araya to collaborate in that articulation. It is a lot of responsibility to put on someone for their first acting role, yet she brings an elemental ferocity and tenderness to the character. Chinchillla Araya shows us Clara’s internal dance, in her fearful interactions with humans and her fearless interactions with animals. Her connection to the elements is always in evidence. She is not just of nature, but is nature. In that way, both the character and the film as a whole are a powerful expression of the divine feminine.

Read more