This fiercely provocative second feature from Argentina’s Santiago Mitre—whose The Student screened at the Festival in 2012—hits the ground running, its opening scene dropping us right in the middle of a heated discussion between Paulina (Dolores Fonzi) and her father, a judge (Oscar Martinez). The point of contention is Paulina’s decision to abandon her PhD and become a schoolteacher in a remote village near the Paraguayan border, believing she can do more good empowering the region’s impoverished than she ever could practicing law in Buenos Aires. Paulina wants to enact change, but this decision will change her life in ways she never bargained for.

Ciro, one of Paulina’s students, is rejected by his girlfriend for another man. One night, emboldened by spite and excess alcohol, Ciro and his friends devise a monstrous revenge—but in the darkness the men mistake Paulina for Ciro’s ex. In the nightmarish aftermath of her attack Paulina makes another contentious decision, one that places her ideals above what everyone else regards as common sense.

Mitre’s updating of Daniel Tinayre’s 1960 classic takes a more secular approach to Paulina’s determination to love one’s enemies. Featuring a stunning central performance from the formidable Fonzi—who also appears at the Festival in Truman—Paulina is an unflinching drama about a woman on a treacherous quest to do the right thing. Be sure to plan for plenty of discussion afterwards. – Andres Castillo

This film is also a part of the Ibero American Feature Film Competition.