Clara Sola
by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
In competition 2021
Official synopsis
In a Costa Rican remote village, Clara, a withdrawn 40-year-old woman, experiences a sexual and mystical awakening as she begins a journey to free herself from the repressive religious and social conventions which have dominated her life.
The programmer’s eye
A story of muffled anger and devouring desire, “Clara Sola” focuses on a child-like woman in her forties, locked in a dysfunctional body that is said to communicate with the Virgin. Infantilized by an authoritarian mother, the pure product of an internalized religious and patriarchal ideology, Clara only finds solace in nature and animals. The arrival of a man turns everything upside down. Films which manage to portray a nascent ardor with such intensity are truly rare. “Clara Sola” is a quest for both physical and carnal emancipation, combining magical realism and ecofeminism, and brilliantly embodied by Wendy Chinchilla Araya. — Mélissa Blanco
Biography and Filmography
A Costa Rican-Swedish screenwriter and director, she started her career in theater in Costa Rica before graduating from the Stockholm University of the Arts and Columbia University’s Film Program. She is an alumna of the Berlinale Talents, TIFF Filmmaker Lab and NYFF Artist Academy. Her shorts have screened at many film festivals and she co-wrote “Entre tú y milagros”, winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Short. She is currently developing her second feature film.
2021 - CLARA SOLA - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2021 - UPON HER LIPS: HEARTBEATS - Sophie Galibert, Paige Gratland, Marion Jhöaner, Sam McWilliams, Ronit Meranda, Lior Sorok, Tom-Lee Ziegelman, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Elin Övergaard - Director
2020 - THE SWEDISH BOYS - Jerry Carlsson, Eric Ernerstedt, Julija Green, Nils Janlert, Alexandra Litén, Valentina Chamorro Westergårdh, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Elin Övergaard - Director
2020 - ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS (Short) - Mariana Saffon - Screenwriter
2018 - SUBMERGED (Short) - Mariana Saffon - Screenwriter
2018 - MOLT (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director
2018 - SHELTER (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2017 - WÖLFE (Short) - Markus Wulf - Screenwriter
2016 - LETTING GO (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2015 - ASUNDER (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2015 - FILIP (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2011 - INTE BLÅ (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
Maria Camila Arias and Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
Wendy Chinchilla Araya, Daniel Castañeda Rincón, Ana Julia Porras Espinoza...
Hobab, Resolve Media, Need Productions, Pacífica Grey, Film Capital Stockholm Fund, Laïdak Films
Epicentre Films
Luxbox
by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
A Costa Rican-Swedish screenwriter and director, she started her career in theater in Costa Rica before graduating from the Stockholm University of the Arts and Columbia University’s Film Program. She is an alumna of the Berlinale Talents, TIFF Filmmaker Lab and NYFF Artist Academy. Her shorts have screened at many film festivals and she co-wrote “Entre tú y milagros”, winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Short. She is currently developing her second feature film.
2021 - CLARA SOLA - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2021 - UPON HER LIPS: HEARTBEATS - Sophie Galibert, Paige Gratland, Marion Jhöaner, Sam McWilliams, Ronit Meranda, Lior Sorok, Tom-Lee Ziegelman, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Elin Övergaard - Director
2020 - THE SWEDISH BOYS - Jerry Carlsson, Eric Ernerstedt, Julija Green, Nils Janlert, Alexandra Litén, Valentina Chamorro Westergårdh, Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, Elin Övergaard - Director
2020 - ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS (Short) - Mariana Saffon - Screenwriter
2018 - SUBMERGED (Short) - Mariana Saffon - Screenwriter
2018 - MOLT (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director
2018 - SHELTER (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2017 - WÖLFE (Short) - Markus Wulf - Screenwriter
2016 - LETTING GO (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2015 - ASUNDER (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2015 - FILIP (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter
2011 - INTE BLÅ (Short) - Nathalie Álvarez Mesén - Director and screenwriter