Clara Sola

This unusual and mystical gem from 2021 marks the debut feature for Costa Rican-Swedish screenwriter Nathalie Álavarez Mesén. The story focuses on Clara, a middle-aged woman with apparent healing powers who suffers from a spine malformation and who lives in a remote Costa Rican village with her domineering mother and young niece.

Life isn’t an easy one for Clara (Wendy Chinchilla Araya – a former dancer also making her screen debut): her humdrum existence in a tiny village somewhere in rural Costa Rica hasn’t much to offer and this lack of excitement is made worse by Clara’s inflictions, namely certain learning disorders and a spine malformation, which causes her to walk with obvious difficulties. She shares a home with her overbearing, patronising old mother Dona Fresia (Flor Maria Vargas Chavez) and her adolescent niece Maria (Ana Juia Porras Espinoza). Clara’s only friends appear to be a white mare named Yuka and a huge beetle she calls Ofir and which she keeps on top of a chest of drawers – with a pile of grass and a kitchen sieve as its makeshift home.

During one of Clara’s rare excursions to the outside world – meaning town – a hospital visit is on the cards. Accompanied by her mother and Maria, the x-ray result indicates that Clara’s spine has moved and is beginning to press against her lung. The friendly doctor advises surgery which is not only necessary but also free of charge but shock, horror… mother Fresia is completely against it. Reason for her seemingly irrational decision is her daughter’s reputation as a healer chosen by God – indeed, this reputation explains Clara’s ‘communications’ with the Virgin Mary during the opening scenes. Clara’s reputation (she also seems to be communicating with insects and plants) provides the family with a certain prominence and importance among the peasant villagers and Fresia is worried that importance might crumble to dust if Clara could walk straight again – after all, her infliction surely is a gift from God who has chosen her as some sort of martyr. Some mother Fresia is!

Life would carry on for Clara in the same miserable fashion were it not for the unexpected arrival of Santiago (Daniel Castaneda Rincón), an handsome local lad who plans on taking Yuca away with the purpose of hiring her beloved horse for tourist trips – much to the horror of Clara, who would lose her closest companion. Suffice to say, she does everything she can to persuade Santagio, who keeps returning the house on a regular basis, otherwise. Meanwhile, he and young Maria embark on a steamy affair, with Clara eavesdropping and secretly playing ‘Peeping Tom’. What she sees and hears awakens her own sexual desires and feelings previously unknown to her… Resulting in her masturbating not only in private but occasionally while watching romantic films on the telly – with her incensed mother scolding her for being “wicked and unclean”. During one incident, when Clara escapes to the forest (her outdoor movements are usually restricted to a designated close to the house) she dreams of a relationship with Santiago while heavily masturbating – her mother shocked about Clara’s wet undies upon her return.

Clara’s crush on Santiago has not gone unnoticed and – flattered – he displays kindness, understanding and friendship towards her. Nonetheless, one day she decides to lead Yuca deep into the forest nearby a river and hide him from Santiago and the others, that way, no one can take her horse from her. She claims Yuca will come visit her and she can communicate with him from a distance. This latest incident only adds to the increasing rift between Clara and her family. Only the occasional alert of earthquake tremors (which they seem to be used to nonetheless) provide a platform over which the trio bond time and time again… until a quake of a different kind finally pushes Clara (who calls herself Sola, meaning ‘alone’) over the edge. Catalyst for the event is Maria’s birthday bash for which Dona Fresia has hired out a ballroom complete with band and of course, all the villagers are invited. Only Clara doesn’t find much reason to celebrate for various reasons and after she turns Maria’s birthday bash well and truly into a ‘ballroom blitz’ she makes her way home to commit the ultimate revenge. Anyone familiar with German author Theodor Fontane’s novel ‘Grete Minde’ will have an inkling as to what is about to happen, though thankfully not quite on the same devastating scale…

Wendy Chinchilla Araya is superb as the spiritually gifted but emotionally troubled Clara and we hope to see more of her in the future. CLARA SOLA is a beautifully crafted film with atmospheric cinematography and convincing performances by all cast members.
The film is available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand. Bonus features include Interview with the director, two short films by the director plus trailer and various audio options. The Blu-ray edition also comes with a fold-out A3 poster with exclusive artwork by Andrew Bannister. Dialogue in Spanish with English subtitles.