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
Keywords
family, global economy, religion, spirituality, sociology, women, feminism, magic realism, motherhood, oscar academy award, Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, spanish, spanish language, latin america, latin american cinema, latin american film, ibero america, latin, latinx, latino, latina,,women, womanhood, gender, girl, girlhood, mother, motherhood, female, cis woman, cis female, trans woman, trans female, women’s rights, women’s issues, lady, ladies, gentlewoman, madame, miss, missus, mrs., dame, damsel, ingenue, lass, maid, maiden, belle, gal, ladyfriend, girlfriend, dear, darling, widow, matron, dowager, gender, gender equality, gender pay gap, women’s liberation, women’s rights,sociology, anthropology, psychology, sociological, sociological perspectives, conflict theory, human conflicts, sociological thinking,conflict perspective, topics in sociology, sociology topics, sociology studies, social studies, people and cultures, human relations, human relationships, cultural studies, culture studies ,latin american studies, caribbean american studies, island studies, latin american culture, latin american history, latin american politics, caribbean american culture, caribbean american history, caribbean american politics, latin american languages, latin american and caribbean studies, hispanic american studies, hispanic people, hispanic culture, hispanic politics,body image, appearance, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, body acceptance, acceptance, body dysmorphic disorder, body dysmorphia, negative body image, distorted body image, confidence, self-esteem, self acceptance, fat acceptance, body acceptance, positive body image, negative body image, weight, fat, overweight, obesity,economics, social class, money, capital, capitalism, class, economy, prejudice, intersectionality, inequality, poverty, income gap, wage gap, class warfare, elitism, snobbery, bourgeois, poverty, upper class, middle class, lower class, nouveau riche,family, kin, fellowship, household, immediate family, extended family, multigenerational family, multigenerational household, kinfolk, family tree, genealogy, nuclear family, modern family, family tree,mental illness, therapy, trauma, behavioral health, mental disability, psychology, psychiatry, social work, wellbeing, counselor, diagnosis, mentally disabled, mental incapacitation, mentally defective, mental handicap, mental defective, psychotic break, psychosis, psychoses, mentally sound, questionable mental health,religion, spirituality, organized religion, soul, spiritual beliefs, religious beliefs, belief systems, branches of religion, religious sects, sects, gods and goddesses, monotheism, theism, pantheism, polytheism, spiritual awakening,central america, honduras, costa rica, guatemala, belize, el salvador, nicaragua, panama, america central, mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, central america volcanic arc, centroamérica, panama canal,oscar® contenders, oscar® awards, oscar® nominees, oscar® nominee, oscar contenders, oscar® consideration, oscar awards, oscar nominees, oscar nominee, oscars, oscar consideration, oscar® finalist, academy awards, academy award, academy award nominee, academy award nominees, academy award consideration; "The Awakening of the Ants"; Pragda Films; oscar contenders,oscar awards,oscar nominees,oscar nominee,oscar contenders,oscar consideration,oscars,oscar consideration,oscar® finalist,academy awards,academy award,academy award nominee,academy award nominees,academy award consideration
Clips
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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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