The Siamese Bond

Paula Hernández's 2021 Argentine film follows a short journey taken by a mother and daughter who live together. Estela and Clota travel from Junín to a coastal town to look at the flats left by the father. The film uses the journey as a test. Across the hours on the bus, in the guesthouse and in the flats, their dependence on each other becomes visible; the mother demands constantly, the daughter endures constantly, and the arrangement does neither of them good. Valeria Lois and Rita Cortese lead, and the film consists almost entirely of scenes between them. The narrative produces no events; the tension comes from repetition and from what is not said. Who it's for: those who like Argentine independent cinema and drama about dependence within a family. Who it's not for: viewers expecting resolution; the film leaves the relationship where it stands.