After years studying in Europe, Elsa returns to Costa Rica to reunite with her family. She finds her younger sister living alone in the family home, growing increasingly distant and reclusive, as if slipping into a world of her own. Their parents, meanwhile, are absorbed in their own lives. Her father drifts through a series of affairs, while her mother is immersed in republishing the erotic poems of her youth, neither fully grasping the urgency of the situation. Elsa’s return draws the three women into a confrontation with what still binds them, despite everything.

This is the synopsis for Forever Your Maternal Animal, the second feature by Valentina Maurel, the world premiere of which is taking place in the Un Certain Regard section of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival (12-23 May).

The director explains, "I began writing Forever Your Maternal Animal out of a certain frustration. I felt I had not been able to fully explore some of the characters in my first film. Characters are central to the way I work, and letting them go can feel almost like a loss. At the same time, I wanted to move towards a more ensemble-driven narrative, one that could explore themes such as motherhood, sisterhood and the idea of returning to one’s country of origin. After my first film was released, I was often asked whether I was already developing a second feature. Out of a kind of bravado, I would say yes, and at one point, I even began mentioning a title, Siempre soy tu animal materno, without really knowing what the film would be. It came from a line in a poem I loved. Then one day, my partner told me he had dreamed that I would make a film about a mother and her two daughters, and I decided to trust that image."

Maurel, of Franco-Costa Rican origin and based in Costa Rica, holds a degree in filmmaking from INSAS in Brussels. Her graduation film, Paul Is Here, won First Prize at the Cinéfondation selection of the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. Her short Lucía en el limbo, shot in Costa Rica, was selected for the Critics’ Week at Cannes in 2019, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and won First Prize at the Guanajuato International Film Festival. Her debut feature, I Have Electric Dreams, premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2022 and went on to win the Awards for Best Direction, Best Actress and Best Actor.

The film stars Daniela Marín Navarro, Mariangel Montero, Marina de Tavira and Reinaldo Amién Gutiérrez. Like Maurel’s previous film, Forever Your Maternal Animal was produced by Benoît Roland on behalf of Wrong Men (Belgium) and by Grégoire Debailly for Geko Films (France), in co-production with Nicolas Celis for Pimienta (Mexico). World sales are entrusted to Heretic.

Check out our exclusive poster below: