I was so excited when I first discovered A Mother’s Embrace on the program for the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival. I wasn’t sure what to expect with only a little information available. Fortunately, this Brazilian film, directed by Argentinian director Cristian Ponce, is another to add to my Best of 2024 list. A Mother’s Embrace is a haunting, Lovecraftian psycho-horror about a woman on a transformative journey forced to confront her past. It follows firefighter Ana during the devastating storm floods in Rio de Janeiro 1996. Along with her team, she must help evacuate residents of a senior home, but the residents have other plans.
The Past
We are introduced to Ana, played by Marjorie Estanio (Good Manners), through a heartbreaking and terrifying night from her childhood. It’s disturbing having front-row seats to this mother on a secret plot to have her daughter join her in death. From Ana’s (Mel Nunes) perspective, it’s almost like a dream the moment she awakens to a terrible fire in their home. The flames seem practically alive, tentacles outstretching, licking at her arms as she searches for a way out. It’s disturbing, and yet I couldn’t help but feel the sadness and desperation of her mother. I held my breath, waiting for Ana’s rescue. Thankfully, we see her safe in the arms of a firefighter. She is left alone, injured, and without a mother, bearing the scars of this traumatic experience.
The Present
The story picks up again in 1996, marking the day of a natural disaster. I was happy to see Ana now grown and thriving. She carries herself with confidence in her fireman’s uniform. Weeks ago, Ana received news of her estranged mother’s passing and had a moment of pause while on a fire rescue. Thereafter, she was placed on desk duty and required a mental health break. When called for a reassessment, she states that she is ready for work detail, and her commanding officers acknowledge her readiness to return to duty. Her team is called to duty immediately afterward.
Rain is falling heavy as they rush to a call for evacuation from the scene of a building collapse. This could have been an incredible drama up to this point, and any audience would be intrigued. The addition of a real-world event makes this tale even more harrowing and immersive. There is nothing to foreshadow the chaos that she is about to step into. Along with her three male co-workers, Dias (Val Perré), Roque (Reynaldo Machado), and Mourão (Rafael Canedo), they head to a nursing home in São Cristóvão.
An Uncertain Future
On scene, there’s an immediate shift in tone and increased tension. This nursing care home hasn’t collapsed, but the location needs attention and repairs. Once inside, there’s plenty of confusion to go around. To their surprise, the elderly owner, Drica (Ângelo Rebelo), and manager, Ulisses (Javier Drolas), are unhappy to see them. Drica seems stubborn and insistent that they need no help. Ulisses supports her but acts oddly and he is clearly hiding something.
Ana and her team instruct Drica and Ulisses to prepare the patients for transport while they inspect the building, while one firefighter remains ready in their emergency vehicle. The home is in all states of disrepair and noticeably cracking, and keeping the residents here is no longer an option. Ana encounters a scared young Lia (Maria Volpe) hiding from her father, Ulisses. She says he is no longer himself, and she is afraid of him. From there, everything goes downhill, and it’s just the beginning of the terror that awaits.
The Beginning in the End
First, the performances overall were outstanding. Most notably, seeing a strong, confident woman in a savior role is always refreshing. Ana carries a significant childhood trauma involving fire and yet faces it daily as a firefighter. It’s comforting to see that she chose the path of the heroes who saved her. She is inspiring and refuses to be seen as weaker, so she stubbornly carries on even after a painful injury. Ana loses sight of her team but quickly notices that Lia needs her help to escape. I couldn’t help but compare her to Ripley in Aliens, risking her life to save this motherless child.
The chaos of the storm and rising waters, the collapsing building, and the residents’ bizarre behavior are all happening simultaneously. They slowly begin a cultish ceremony, and Ana sees her mother around every corner. The home itself appears to be barring them from leaving and it seems to exist in another plane. The mood is dark and chilling. These otherworldly tentacles were crawling around like growing roots, as she was pulled deeper into the home. Something is forcing her to confront her childhood trauma. The mood and ambiance were enchanting. And with a runtime of 91 minutes, the pacing is exciting and gives you no time to come up for air.
Time Heals All Wounds
Overall, A Mother’s Embrace was captivating and cathartic. The horrors in the home are crafted to make you feel you are watching this unfold right before you. The writing is smart, and the tone is tense and thrilling. The location was brilliantly shot to make it seem like something was always lurking around the corner. It’s rare to see an older group of adults causing disorder and added a layer of suspense, not knowing what they had planned. Forever, my mind will be stained with the images of this Cuthulu-esque, giant, underwater beast with wombs for eyes and tentacles for miles. Moreover, the symmetry of the prologue’s closing and the final scene was the pièce de résistance.
If you’re looking for more from Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, these other great titles are premiering, and more reviews will come.
