Esplendor
Direction: Carme Portacelli
Cast: Míriam Iscla, Lluïsa Castell, Gabriela Flores y Laura Aubert
Duration: 1 hora y 40minutos
In an opulent room of the Presidential Palace of a European tyrant, four women maintain a fragile layer of civilized cordiality while outside, with terrible weather, a war is getting closer and closer. A war correspondent photographer awaits the return of the tyrant, the president. She has come to take a picture of him. The president’s wife, her best friend and an interpreter are waiting with her. Prada shoes, glasses of vodka… make the waiting time pass. He comes late, very late… The four women have secrets and suspicions. All four are in danger.
It’s the day the revolution took to the streets. With this tense and fascinating work, Abi Morgan highlights the fragility of power by allowing us to take a look inside the heads of these women while the world spins to the rhythm of street shots. The four women have secrets and suspicions. All four are in danger. It’s the day the revolution took to the streets.
Captives, none of them can escape because, among other things, minute by minute the city is under siege and it is no longer possible to leave it anywhere. Micheleine tries to cover up the disintegration of power by fleeing to romantic memories that didn’t exist long ago. Genevieve always shows too much kindness to protect her children. Kathryn, as a photographer of the reality of war, is condemned to total solitude. And, finally, Gilma, impersonating interpreter, who steals everything she can and puts it all in her big pockets, represents the predatory nature of the survivor.
