“Forever Your Maternal Animal is proof that there is nothing more effective than a simple story told well.”

Every family has that one member who seems to be more responsible than others. In most cases, it’s used as a lighthearted comment on how families are structured, but in others it can point towards more complex dynamics that are not always easy to decode. This is where we find the protagonist of Valentina Maurel’s beautiful but challenging Forever Your Maternal Animal, which follows Elsa, who has recently returned to her native Costa Rica after spending a while studying in Belgium. Her mother Isabel is a poet who is currently on the press cycle for the reissuing of a poetry collection she wrote as a young woman, while her sister Amalia continues to sink deeper into life as a hermit as a result of her declining mental state, becoming a recluse from the outside world. Caught between her two family members, Elsa finds herself struggling to navigate these challenges, especially when it becomes clear that she has much broader responsibilities than many people her age. A film with strong ideas, Forever Your Maternal Animal manages to comment critically on common themes that often populate this particular kind of quiet, intimate character study that condenses some intimidating themes into a small but captivating portrait of everyday challenges and the path towards resolution.

The title of Forever Your Maternal Animal is not only a beautifully ethereal evocation, but also a clear indication of the core themes that drive the story. The film is primarily an exploration of Elsa’s experiences returning to her home in working-class Costa Rica, which she finds has changed considerably since her departure. Much of this can be credited to the phenomenon in which we discover that the places where we grew up tend to become warped in our memories, making the eventual return a disorienting experience. These complex feelings are filtered into the film’s focus on Elsa’s efforts to maintain order, caught between a mother with larger priorities and a sister who is teetering on the edge of a breakdown. The film gives a glimpse into the various layers of these relationships, viewed through the eyes of a young woman trying to make sense of the world that surrounds her, without the luxury of being able to be vulnerable herself. The director is committed to unravelling these emerging relationships, crafting a delicate but heartbreakingly honest depiction of the tense connections between the women as they pursue their individual paths. It’s a simple premise about three people learning to understand one another, but one that is beautifully composed by a director with a deep understanding of the intricate nuances that accompany such a story.

The themes guiding Forever Your Maternal Animal are resonant enough not to require much innovation in terms of its construction. The ideal approach would be to allow the story to develop naturally, without relying on anything that could distract from the core conversations. Much of the credit must go to the cast, who are responsible for crafting a film that takes an organic approach to exploring familial dynamics. Elsa, as played by Daniela Marín Navarro, is the focus and has the unenviable task of playing a young woman who is still growing into her own independence as she navigates early adulthood. The performance primarily requires an actor who can capture the smallest nuances and develop them into key characteristics, which Marín Navarro does quite well. Isabel, portrayed by the always magnetic Marina de Tavira, is someone who has done her best for her daughters but decides to prioritise her own ambitions now that the children have come of age. Mariangel Villegas is Amalia, the volatile younger sibling who is on a path of self-destruction as a result of her deliberate isolation from the outside world. The film handles complex themes, but with these strong performances anchoring it, as well as the director’s ability to capture the intricate details, it becomes far more captivating as it progresses. Forever Your Maternal Animal is proof that there is nothing more effective than a simple story told well. Through choosing a few familiar points of conversation, particularly those relating to the trials and tribulations that come with navigating difficult familial dynamics, Maurel provides an insightful and compelling character-based drama that seems straightforward but has many intriguing layers. There is no shortage of stories about the fraught relationships between family members, but rather than aiming to be the definitive account of this topic, the film approaches it from a more deeply personal perspective. The filmmaking is quiet and intimate, touching on complex themes without ever needing to manipulate the viewer into feeling certain emotions, relying instead on a strong, meaningful approach to exploring the city and a few of its residents, whose own lives become fertile ground for this poignant and compelling examination of family in its various forms. Anchored by a trio of strong performances, and driven by a deeply sensitive but quietly forceful depiction of the human condition, Forever Your Maternal Animal finds unique ways to examine a familiar subject, approaching it with tact, sincerity and a striking beauty (both visually and thematically) that ties everything together and highlights the resonant message situated right at its core.  

(c) Image copyright: Wrong Men, Geko Films