The Heiresses: Marcelo Martinessi’s drama is a quiet, observant, rich character study. Not much is directly explained, but quite a lot about the characters is understood nevertheless, and there’s much that is implied about the society portrayed. It is a fine example that necessity is the mother of invention, and the journey the protagonist goes through is a beautiful one. The performances are very subtle, subdued, but that doesn’t diminish at all their effectiveness; Ana Brun’s main character is layered, touching, a lot done with very little. Ana Ivanova, Margarita Irun and María Martins are all very good in their supporting roles. The camerawork of cinematographer Luis Armando Arteaga keeps the viewer near the characters, in an intimate way that feels quite appropriate to the material. The film seems a bit long and slow at times, however.