MEDEA
Costa Rica, 2017
Spanish with English subtitles | 73 min 
Director: Alexandra Latishev Salazar

Thursday, August 30th 
5pm @ The Cinematheque
Saturday, September 1st 
9:30pm @ The Cinematheque

María José’s life moves back and forth between the monotony of her classes at the university, her eternally distant parents, rugby training, and dares with her gay friend. Emotionally disconnected from her environment, when she meets Javier, who quickly sparks her interest, she tries to start a relationship with him. But all her efforts to live a “normal” life don’t seem to succeed. As it turns out, María José is carrying a secret that everybody refuses to notice: she is a few months into her pregnancy. Alexandra Salazar’s nuanced portrait of contemporary womanhood and social isolation forms part of a new wave of Costa Rican film focused less on traditional narrative and more on mood-driven cinema.

A tense, brilliant, and at times disturbing trip through a young woman’s reaction to a surprise pregnancy, Medea will mesmerize audiences and knock you out of your comfort zone.

La vida de María José es un balance entre la monotonía de las clases de la universidad, su relación con sus distantes padres, el entrenamiento de rugby y las osadas apuestas con su amigo gay. Emocionalmente se encuentra distante de su alrededor, pero cuando conoce a Javier, un chico que le gusta, intenta iniciar una relación con él. Pero todos sus esfuerzos para vivir una vida “normal” son en vano. María José lleva un secreto que todos evitan notar: tiene unos cuantos meses de embarazo.

Alexandra’s Shorts Filmography: Irene (2014), Los Volátiles (2014), L’Enfant Fatale (2011)

Alexandra Latishev Salazar studied at the Véritas University Film and TV School in Costa Rica. Her short film IRENE (2014) participated in different festivals, including Kinoforum, Clermont-Ferrand, Toulouse, Alucine (Best Fiction), Flanders Latino Film Festival (Jury Mention), Havana Festival (Jury Mention), Ícaro Festival (Best Central American Short Film) and the Costa Rica International Film Festival (Best National Short Film). Her documentary LOS VOLÁTILES won the Best Documentary Feature and Audience Awards at the CRIFF. MEDEA was a contender in the BAFICI Official Competition.

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