A mesmerising retelling of the horrors and pervasive paranoia of the Pinochet era by way of tense, often dream-like and thoroughly unpredictable drama. Carmen is a wealthy and visibly bored housewife is in the midst of second-home renovations when her local priest asks her to secretly nurse a wounded young man who has fallen foul of the authorities.

The issue in question – the repression and violence of the time – are not mentioned, such is the script’s well-judged subtlety.  But perhaps the main topic here is the comfortable numbness of the middle class, with the rug being well and truly pulled from under Carmen’s feet, as she begins to understand what is happening around her and that her actions may have placed her in peril.

The film’s atmosphere and its wonderfully paced suspense are due, in no small part, to its sparse dialogue, together with an intriguing, unsettling original score and remarkable sound mixing. Manuela Martelli’s much-lauded debut feature went on to win several awards worldwide, including the First Feature Competition at the 2022 London Film Festival.

The film – and its context in South American cinema – will be introduced by Dr Jon Hackett, Associate Professor – Film and Communications at St Mary’s University.

Tickets:

Adults: £5

Full time students: £3

Free to RFS members.

About Richmond Film Society

Richmond Film Society was formed in 1963 and has since screened over 860 films. Our objective was, and remains, to bring our community the very best in World Cinema. Our seasons run from September to June and attract an aggregate audience approaching 4,500 attendees. Season 60 will comprise 19 films of international repute, including features from Europe, Africa, North and South America, South and East Asia and the Middle East.

Films are shown on alternate Tuesdays at 8:00 pm sharp, with no ads or trailers. On screening nights, the bar opens at 7:00 p.m. and drinks can be brought into the auditorium. Film notes are available online for each screening and audience scores and feedback are collated.

For further information on RFS and the programme of films, please visit http://www.richmondfilmsoc.org.uk. You can also follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RichmondFilmSociety/ , on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Richmond_Film and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/richmondfilmsociety/

Season 60 Membership

Seasonal membership is being held at £40 for the 19 films (the 1999 price), an equivalent of £2.11 per film. For full time students, membership is offered at the concessionary rate of £25. The Existing Members ‘loyalty renewal window’ for Season 60 runs to the end of July.

Following expiration of the priority renewal period for existing Season 59

members, memberships will be offered to those on our waiting list. If you are a non-member and would like to be added to the waiting list for next season, please email us at admin@richmondfilmsoc.org.uk with your name, address and telephone number. Alternatively, you can email us via the ‘Contact Us’ section of our website.

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Owing to capacity issues and our membership cap, we have not been able to open

membership up to the general public for to the last two seasons, so please

do get in touch if you are interested in joining.

Non-Member Tickets – on sale from 14 August

We intend to around 60 non-member tickets  available to purchase for individual screenings in Season 60, with tickets for the first four screenings going on sale at The Exchange from 14 August. Non-member tickets will remain at £5 (full-time students £3) and can be purchased in advance from The Exchange’s Box Office online at http://exchangetwickenham.co.uk/events, by telephone 020 8240 2399 or in person. To ensure that you secure a ticket and avoid disappointment, we strongly recommend early pre-booking via The Exchange once tickets become available for sale.

Should any non-member tickets remain available on the night of screenings, these can be now be purchased solely from The Exchange’s box office on the ground floor. Purchases are now by contactless payments only.