Movie Review: The Heiresses Page 1

Movie Review: The Heiresses

The Heiresses (UK Rating: 12A)

For all of its 89-minute runtime, The Heiresses gives very little in the way of traditional film storytelling. Less a battering ram of action set pieces and tense hallways filled with shadows, and more deeply contemplative examination of its characters, namely its protagonist Chela, The Heiresses is the kind of film that will unite critics, and divide audiences. By the end of its runtime, it's hard to precisely understand what happened, but this isn't to its detriment.

Chela and Chiquita have been together for a very long time, and now, thanks to Chiquita's impending incarceration, they are being forced to sell much of what they own. Everything down to the silverware is expendable in these dark days, and by the time Chiquita ends up behind bars, one thing is very clear. In all of this, Chela is a victim.

She seems almost trapped in her home, only getting to escape to visit Chiquita on visiting days. She is bound by the mistakes Chiquita made, and because of that, her eventual liberation is sweet. An older woman next door begins paying her for car rides, and this snowballs into her becoming something of a taxi service for this woman and her friends. Eventually, this extends to a younger woman named Angy, who seems dead set on pulling Chela out of her rut (both her new one and the one she's seemingly lived in for so long).

The Heiresses is a short film, as already mentioned, and while it's a nice meditative look at Chela's life, it's also one that is very much the kind of film you'd expect it to be. It's almost pretentious, without fully committing to it. It's an artsy film that will inevitably turn some people off (though it's unlikely it will turn off the crowd seeking it out). It has all the trappings of an artsy film. There are scenes where all one will do is to just watch people co-exist and nothing else. There are scenes were the viewer just kind of looks at Chela, her not doing anything of particular interest. The editing isn't always the best, being too quick paced at times. It hampers what would otherwise be an interesting character study only enough to be noticeable, but fortunately, never enough to do any real damage.

8/10

Great - Silver Award

The Heiresses is a mostly beautiful experience that just feels the slightest bit pretentious. It manages to walk the line between artsy and thoughtful well, though, and for fans of cinema that's willing to take a chance and explore a more universal theme than most films would, this is a must see. Just expect to have a few moments that make you ask: "why is this here?"

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Movie Review: The Heiresses

The Heiresses (UK Rating: 12A)

Great - Silver Award

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