Without a Trace (2001)

When I watched Maria Novaro’s earlier film Danzón a couple months ago, I initially gave it 4 stars. It has since grown and swelled in my heart to a full five star. It’s a movie of pure tranquility that feels lived-in and authentic. The plot is simple but the characters are intricate, genuine and brimming with life. They are well-defined but unpredictable.

Such vitality seeps too into the characters of this film made 10 years later. The movie’s at its best in the interactions between the two female leads. It has the structure of a romantic thriller but is essentially a buddy movie.

One touch that feels uniquely feminine to me is the inclusion of the infant in the story. It’s a road trip movie with action and suspense and always there is a baby present. Not a doll in a blanket, but a real child. It feels like a detail a male director would easily cut out to make production smoother. But here at all times, no matter where they go or what situation they are getting into, Aurelia is carrying her son with her. In a car chase scene Ana climbs into the backseat to comfort him. One of the film’s most potent lines is delivered directly to him by his mother, while he sleeps on a hotel room bed. His chest is beating, his leg kicks a little, and his mother speaks to him. These are details from a patient filmmaker exploring women’s roles as mothers.

I’m excited to see more of Novaro’s work but unfortunately many of her films are difficult to come by