NCLAFF: Carajita

Dir. by Silvina Schnicer and Ulises Porras. Argentina. 2021. 89 min. Spanish with English subtitles.

Featuring striking cinematography and outstanding performances, Carajita (which means annoying child) explores the tenuous relationship that exists between race, class, and family.

Sarah, the pampered daughter of a corrupt oligarch whose family recently relocated to Las Terrenas, thinks of her Black Dominican nanny, Yarisa, as "part of the family." The two have a "mother-daughter-like" relationship that transcends their social standing. That illusion is put to the test when Yarisa's spirited daughter Mallory goes missing, challenging Sarah's naïve beliefs.

Boasting intuitive storytelling and confident direction, Carajita plays like a psychological thriller, deriving oppressive tension from unspoken inequalities and the impunity of privilege.