The Awakening of the Ants
(El despertar de las hormigas)
Antonella Sudasassi Furniss | Drama, Fiction
2019 | 94 minutes | Costa Rica, Spain
Isa finds herself at a breaking point awakening to the possibilities of a life lived on her own terms, in this engrossing and intimate feature debut from writer/director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss.
Synopsis
For thoughtful, demure young housewife Isa, life in a lush, postcard-perfect Costa Rican seaside village is far from anyone's idea of a dream. She is being pressured by her intrusive and loudly opinionated in-laws to have another baby – a boy - even as her already cramped household struggles to stay afloat. She tends to the needs of her husband and two daughters while her own desires remain distant and ignored.
Isa finds herself suffocated by rigid gender roles and the cloistered, provincial thinking that comes with small-town life. Desperately imagining some other way of living—single, childless, desired—while growing increasingly tense towards those closest to her, Isa finds herself at a breaking point awakening to the possibilities of a life lived on her own terms, in this engrossing and intimate feature debut from writer/director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss.
Reviews
"A quiet and utterly believable portrayal of a conflict that is widespread far beyond Costa Rica." — World Film Reviews
"A sensitive portrait of a mundane existence." — One Room with a View
"Surprising, imaginative and always convincing picture ideas." — TIP
"The hesitant steps toward liberation of a young wife and mother are depicted with subtlety and sensitivity in The Awakening of the Ants." — Jonathan Holland, The Hollywood Reporter
"The Awakening of the Ants is a strong portrait of womanhood undergoing fundamental change." — Goombastomp
"Impressive and meaningful." — The Upcoming
"A passionate and intense portrait." — Filmuforia
"A very genuine and honest drama." — Anthony Cullen, The Mad Movie Man
Citation
Main credits
Sudasassi Furniss, Antonella (film director)
Sudasassi Furniss, Antonella (screenwriter)
Izquierdo, Amaya (film producer)
Valenciano, Daniella (actor)
Gómez, Leynar (actor)
Moscoso, Isabella (actor)
Alpízar, Adriana (actor)
Other credits
Director of photography, Andrès Campos; editing, Raúl de Torres; music, Sergio de la Puente.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Body Image
Economics + Social Class Issues
Family
Latin American Studies
Mental Health
Oscar® Contenders
Religion + Spirituality
Sociology
Women
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Academy Awards® - Costa Rica's submission for Best International Feature Film
Platino Awards - Film and Educational Values
Berlin International Film Festival
Goya Awards® - Best Hispano American Film Nominee
Seattle International Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize, Ibero-American competition
Festival de Cinema de Gramado - Best LatAm Film, Critics Jury Award, Special Jury Award for Isabella Moscoso and Avril Alpizar
DIRECTOR: Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
NATIONALITY: Costa Rica, Spain
YEAR: 2019
GENRE: Drama, Fiction
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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