Clara Sola

Clara, 40, is believed to have a special connection to God. As a healer, she sustains a family and a village in need of hope, while she finds solace in her relationship with the natural world. After years of being controlled by her mother’s repressive care, Clara’s sexual desires are stirred by her attraction to her niece’s new boyfriend. This newly awakened force takes Clara to unexplored territory, allowing her to cross boundaries, both physical and mystical. Empowered by her self-discovery, Clara gradually frees herself from her role as “saint” and begins to heal herself.

“For her first fiction feature, following a number of acclaimed shorts, Stockholm-based Nathalie Álvarez Mesén ventures deep into the realms of her other home country. In a mountain village in the Costa Rican countryside, we encounter Clara, a somewhat aloof personality, clearly more at ease among plants and animals than among humans. It’s an appearance that responds well to her reputation as an elevated being, as she is believed to be in the neighbourhood, called upon as a healer by those in need of remedy and relief. Religious services filled with Catholic pageantry are performed regularly, with Clara being the designated centrepiece.” - Cineuropa