LEADING LADIES

Ruth Caudeli | Colombia | 2021 | 84 min | SPANISH S.-T.EN.

Five queer, female protagonists named after the actresses who play them; five very different perspectives: impulsive Ana (María Otálora), workaholic politician Diana (Wiswell), inconsistent germaphobe Ana María (Cuellar), cagey Marcela (Robledo), and reckless Silvia (Varón). Like a classic murder mystery, they all descend upon a single house, sly and sexy, edgy with guilt.

As we relive the party through each woman’s eyes, every offhand comment takes on new colour, every fact up for debate, every stray touch and wine glass tipped back careening them toward a possible point of no return. Director Ruth Caudeli’s tight, claustrophobic camerawork and the actress’ improvisational nuances add intensity to this genre-eliding study of fractious, wavering relationships and the deep love that undergirds them. The confusion that begins the film coming into focus, confession by confession. Who truly deserves the blame for bad actions? How does one harbour guilt without it devouring them from the inside? And is there anything left to salvage once you find out?