Humility vs. Pride

Scene from Cama AdentroThis movie was so good. No really, it was so so good. Cama adentro (Live-in Maid) is the story of two women with ultimately nothing in common whose relationship shifts from one that’s bonded by pride to one that’s bonded by humility. Set in Buenos Aires in 2001, a time of an economic recession for the entire nation of Argentina, the film focuses on an affluent woman (Señora Beba) and her live-in maid (Dora). The woman, unable to pay her maid, must some how come to terms with what she’s been running from the entire movie. The maid, suffering from economic problems herself, can’t afford to work for a woman who hasn’t paid her; and any attempts in discussing payment is met with hostility. The movie follows the two women on their own paths in attempting to gain economic stability, and in the end of the movie they meet at a crossroad. The movie brings up a lot of different issues in Argentine society that may mirror society in the U.S.: class, race, sexuality and though that’s not the major focus, you can’t help but over look the obvious disparity between the way the indigenous people live in Buenos Aires from the Euro-descended people or the look on Señoa Beba’s face when her ex-husband alludes to the fact that their daughter is a lesbian. One thing I noticed is the scenery in the film. When I think about Buenos Aires, or Argentina in general, I’ve always thought of color and vibrancy (as noted in my previous posts). However in this film there was no color; there were few smiling faces; and no music except for towards the end. The political and economic climate in the film depicts a time period of uncertainty and instability in Buenos Aires, and by choosing to not show BA as we have imagined it, the viewers can see Buenos Aires through a Porteleño. As the film comes to an end, we don’t get to see any real closure for both characters, and we’re left at the beginning stages of the economic turmoil that plagues Buenos Aires.