Clara Sola | Rotten Tomatoes (original) (raw)

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Critics Consensus

Discomfiting and dreamy, Clara Sola brings a sensual surreality to a story of oppressed autonomy, with debuting star Wendy Chinchilla Araya providing a mesmerizing focal point.

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Wendy Ide Observer (UK) This atmospheric debut from Costa Rican-Swedish director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén combines mud, moss and mysticism to arresting effect. Rated: 3/5 Nov 20, 2022 Full Review Finlay Spencer Little White Lies In the end, the metaphor gets in the way of the emotion. Rated: 2/5 Nov 16, 2022 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Clara Sola is superbly filmed and composed with a very humid sense of atmosphere, and Araya’s performance is a miracle of sympathy and candour. Rated: 4/5 Nov 15, 2022 Full Review Arthur Goyaz Loud and Clear Reviews It’s difficult to explain what exactly held me back from liking this film more, but while Clara’s connection to her surroundings and her pursuit of clarity was reasonably expressed, I had a hard time connecting to all of it myself. Rated: 3/5 Aug 7, 2024 Full Review Annlee Ellingson CineWomen “Coming-of-age” isn’t usually a genre applied to stories about forty-year-old women, but Nathalie Álvarez Mesén’s Clara Sola embraces the challenge with an intimate portrait of a sometimes difficult protagonist with a dash of magical realism. Jul 28, 2024 Full Review Tina Kakadelis Beyond the Cinerama Dome Clara Sola shows what happens when enough finally becomes enough. A breaking point decades in the making over something that never should have been taken from Clara in the first place: her autonomy. Feb 25, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Andre G Original , Beautiful, Enigmatic, brilliantly directed, well written, acted, shot and edited….Most Creative Disciplines executed by women…Marries Catholic rural cult tradition with Magic Realism elements…My favorite Central American Fiction feature, in the last 10 years, Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/24 Full Review Camilo M Clara Sola is an extraordinary, exquisite, polished gem of a film which clearly radiates, not a Bergmanesque but a Bergman redux quality in its film work, acting, direction, gripping emotional pull and symbolism. Like many of Bergman films it is about reaction to traditional values which attempt to constrain vitality and cause deep distress as the confines are tested and broken. The main distinctions are two, the setting in a peasant community in Costa Rica instead of an aristocratic set of high class artists and that it is directed by a woman who centers the film in the world of women struggling with women's problems. It is one of the best. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/06/23 Full Review Ravenswood R Wendy Chinchilla Araya is outstanding in every way, flawlessly portraying the sometimes frightening emotions of the main character Clara. Many themes are explored here, exploitation, oppression, repression, abuse, nonconformity, and the often confusing and ultimately futile attempts we make to communicate with each other. The film has a lot to offer and is beautifully well made and engrossing. Some of the supernatural touches seem off kilter and a bit out of place, but forgiving that this is a wonderful and exceptionally touching film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/19/23 Full Review Rose H Lush tropical rainforests, juxtaposed with religious iconography & loaded with witchy themes of feminine power. This is a film I'll watch again! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/22 Full Review Read all reviews

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Synopsis In a remote village in Costa Rica, 40-year-old Clara endures a repressively religious and withdrawn life under the command of her mother. Her uncanny affinity for creatures large and small allows Clara to find solace in the natural world around her. Tension builds within the family as Clara's younger niece approaches her quinceañera, igniting a sexual and mystical awakening in Clara, and a journey to free herself from the conventions that have dominated her life.

Director

Nathalie Álvarez Mesén

Producer

Nima Yousefi, Alan McConnell, Géraldine Sprimont, Anne-Laure Guégan, Karina Avellán Troz, Marcelo Quesada

Screenwriter

Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Maria Camila Arias

Distributor

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Production Co

Laïdak Films, Pacífica Grey, Hobab, Need Productions, Resolve Media, Film Capital Stockholm

Genre

Drama

Original Language

Spanish

Release Date (Theaters)

Jul 1, 2022, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)

Dec 6, 2024

Runtime

1h 48m