Aleli
Uruguay
Leticia Jorge
The sale of Aleli, the family beach house, is imminent. ALBA (76), ERNESTO (53) and LILIÁN (56), Al- E- Li, seem to have reached an agreement. Yet, Ernesto cannot bring himself to go through with it. Although it has been a year since Ernesto’s father passed away, the idea of allowing the house he built to become a tacky cabin compound upsets him deeply.
Due to an unexpected delay in the execution of the sale, the family will embark on a weekend of misguided anger, clashing wills, unresolved nostalgia, beach chairs, Bach flower remedies and run-ins with the law. A weekend where everyone will bump into each other, figurative and literally speaking.
The religious ceremony in honor of the late patriarch is followed by a family lunch that feels like a minefield. Alba’s behavior shows she can no longer live by herself. Lilián insists that it is time they put her in a nursing home.
At dessert, Ernesto flies off the handle. His mother has had a cake baked, featuring his late father’s face. A cake server is stuck into the whipped cream repeatedly; Ernesto is handed a plate with a piece featuring one of his father’s eyes. To everyone’s surprise, he storms away from the family gathering, slamming the door shut on his way out.
During his temporary exile, he receives a call. Something has triggered Aleli’s alarm.
Although there is clearly no need to, he decides to drive all the way to the family beach house, only to find that the one who triggered the alarm was his little sister SILVANA (39). She is the only member of the Mazzotti family whose initial is not part of house’s name. In the middle of one of her recurring marital crisis, Silvana sought shelter at Aleli but did not take the precaution of bringing a key.
At Aleli, the memory of Ernesto and Silvana’s father is omnipresent. Alongside his little sister, Ernesto cleans up the place, mows the lawn and goes to war against their next-door neighbor, as though his father’s memory was at stake.
Meanwhile, a number of unexpected visitors hover over Aleli like scavenging birds. As far as Ernesto is concerned, the idea of selling the house grows more despicable by the minute, but it is clear that no one in the Mazzotti family is willing to surrender one inch.
Due to an unexpected delay in the execution of the sale, the family will embark on a weekend of misguided anger, clashing wills, unresolved nostalgia, beach chairs, Bach flower remedies and run-ins with the law. A weekend where everyone will bump into each other, figurative and literally speaking.
The religious ceremony in honor of the late patriarch is followed by a family lunch that feels like a minefield. Alba’s behavior shows she can no longer live by herself. Lilián insists that it is time they put her in a nursing home.
At dessert, Ernesto flies off the handle. His mother has had a cake baked, featuring his late father’s face. A cake server is stuck into the whipped cream repeatedly; Ernesto is handed a plate with a piece featuring one of his father’s eyes. To everyone’s surprise, he storms away from the family gathering, slamming the door shut on his way out.
During his temporary exile, he receives a call. Something has triggered Aleli’s alarm.
Although there is clearly no need to, he decides to drive all the way to the family beach house, only to find that the one who triggered the alarm was his little sister SILVANA (39). She is the only member of the Mazzotti family whose initial is not part of house’s name. In the middle of one of her recurring marital crisis, Silvana sought shelter at Aleli but did not take the precaution of bringing a key.
At Aleli, the memory of Ernesto and Silvana’s father is omnipresent. Alongside his little sister, Ernesto cleans up the place, mows the lawn and goes to war against their next-door neighbor, as though his father’s memory was at stake.
Meanwhile, a number of unexpected visitors hover over Aleli like scavenging birds. As far as Ernesto is concerned, the idea of selling the house grows more despicable by the minute, but it is clear that no one in the Mazzotti family is willing to surrender one inch.
Support:
Festivals and Awards:
Biarritz 2019, competition
Chicago 2019, section Cinemas of the Americas & Comedy
Balneário Camboriú 2019: Audience Award, Best Actor (Néstor Guzzini)
Rio de Janeiro 2019, competition
Chicago 2019, section Cinemas of the Americas & Comedy
Balneário Camboriú 2019: Audience Award, Best Actor (Néstor Guzzini)
Rio de Janeiro 2019, competition
World Sales:
Mutante Cine