FLIES (MOSCAS) World Cinema

Returning to the nostalgia-laden black-and-white form of his breakthrough debut DUCK SEASON, Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke crafts a delicate yet wry exploration of grief in his bittersweet new feature. In a busy corner of Mexico City, retiree Olga (Teresita Sánchez) lives a solitary life, swatting flies and playing online Sudoku. In need of some extra cash for a routine procedure, she begrudgingly places an ad to rent out her spare room. An exhausted father (Hugo Ramírez) shows up at her doorstep with his nine-year-old son, Cristian (Bastian Escobar), looking to relocate closer to the hospital where his wife is receiving cancer treatment. Leaving his son for long hours as he goes out in search of work, Cristian’s careless childhood habits drive Olga crazy, until the two come to a shared understanding. Sánchez, a stalwart of independent Mexican cinema, is a tough but luminous screen presence as Olga while Escobar is a true discovery, his youthful innocence slowly making way for something far more tender. Eimbcke’s earnest script finds gentle humor in the everyday, while a streak of magical realism stemming from a cosmic arcade game provides the film with its most standout sequences. –Josh Gardner