Purely Joyful Movie!

Am I Missing Something?

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Que Horas Ela Volta? (2015), directed by Anna Muylaert, tells the story of Val—a live-in nanny/maid who serves and tends to a wealthy couple and their teenage son in São Paolo. Val has evidently worked for this family for quite a while and is often seemingly accepted as a member of this family. It is evidenced at various points throughout the story that Val essentially functions as a second mother to the boy, giving rise to the English title of this film, The Second Mother.Not long into the film, it is unveiled that in order to work for this family, Val has left behind a family of her own, including her estranged daughter, Jéssica, with whom she has not spoken in a long time. Out of the blue, Val receives a call from Jéssica, who informs her mother that she will be visiting São Paolo in order to take a university placement exam. Val makes arrangements for her daughter to stay with her while she is in town and, though initially excited to meet Val's daughter, Val's employers become discontent when Jéssica refuses to accept her role as a "second-tier" individual. Contrary to their expectations, she openly eats at their table and does not stay confined to her mother's quarters. Instead, she sits at the main table and accepts meals and beverages from her mother's employer, Carlos. Carlos takes a romantic (and creepy) interest in Jéssica, allowing her to stay in the guest room instead of with Val. Without permission, Jéssica uses the pool, a privilege only the wealthy are supposed to have.The breaking point of the film presents itself when Fabinho (the employers' son), who is the same age as Jéssica, does not get into the university, but Jéssica does. Bárbara (the patroness) refuses to accept Jéssica's rise—her disregard for the class system—and effectively kicks Jéssica out of her home. Though initially angry at Jéssica's reluctance to accept her social role, her mother Val eventually seems to come around to her disregard for classism, apparent toward the end of the film, when she joyously dances in her employers' half-empty pool. On top of a great cast, this film is extremely well put-together and excels in its presentation and critique of this important social issue. As someone who grew up with immigrant, working-class parents, it is easy for me to relate to the struggles Jéssica faces as she grapples for acceptance.

This movie is based around a live-in servant Val and the three people she serves: the father, his daughter and her son. Despite living in the same house as her three masters, Val is very subservient and looked down upon. She does not swim in her master's pool, does not eat at the same table as them, nor does she eat the same food. Val's life is turned upside down when her daughter Jessica comes to stay in order to sit the university entrance exams; a university that is only for the elite. Despite her mother's insistence and pleading, Jessica refuses to conform to the role of servant's daughter with interesting consequences that are not stereotypical.The second mother is beautifully done. The acting is superb. The story is told elegantly showing not just the injustice of class, but presenting it for the ugly beast it is. What I particularly liked about it was that Jessica's role was not overdone and stereotyped. The character was not deliberately being antagonistic, she was simply being herself and that meant refusing to conform to class social norms. If you get the chance to see this film I urge you to do so.

I agree with the other reviews that this is quite a good movie well worth seeing (as of 6/2016, free with Amazon prime). I see is no reason for me to add my own review.Instead, I wanted to point out some "shocking" facts for the US audience. It is about an upper class family in Sao Paulo with a nice house, a nice pool, a live-in maid, a chauffeur, etc.; even the maid has a maid. However, they have a small kitchen, a small refrigerator w/o an ice maker, (apparently) no dishwasher, no cloth dryer, and a weird setup for the bedrooms that open from a creepy looking hallway (although not as scary as the one in Barton Fink).In short, we, regular folks in the US, seem to have a "better" life (except for the maid/chauffeur thingie).Speaking of the movie, I felt ashamed seeing how the maid was treated; very politely but in a deeply humiliating way. I had several cleaning ladies myself and I always treated all of them with sincere respect.

A brilliant rendition of the prevalent but unspoken class differences in every society which further benefits from the writer-director's clear understanding of the relationship between an employer & an employee, The Second Mother is a measured, introspective & finely balanced story that takes a straightforward approach in tackling its themes but also offers plenty of laughs in between.Set in São Paolo, Brazil, The Second Mother (also known as Que Horas Ela Volta?) tells the story of Val, a hardworking & live-in housekeeper who has served her employers well for over a decade but has to live with the guilt of leaving her daughter behind. However, when Val's daughter decides to visit her, the existing class divide between the servants & their employers is thrown into disarray.Written & directed by Anna Muylaert, The Second Mother doesn't take much time in setting up its plot and swiftly briefs us through Val's daily routine plus the trust she has garnered over the years. Muylaert's direction shows great composure, all characters exhibit a well defined arc, and while the plot brims with lots of heart & warmth, it's always ready to take a witty bite when opportunity surfaces.Further enhancing the film's urban look n feel are its posh set pieces, bright colour tones & smooth camera-work when operating inside the house. Its 112 minutes of runtime unfolds like a breeze, the technical aspects are kept remarkably simple & wonderfully compliment the whole narrative, while the cast leaves no stone unturned to bring its interesting characters to life in a convincing manner.Coming to the acting department, the best performance comes from Regina Casé for her work as Val is absolutely sensational & she's the one who keeps everything glued together. Camila Márdila plays Val's daughter whose arrival & disregard for existing social norms results in an invisible layer of uneasiness between the two mothers while the rest of the supporting cast ably play their given roles.On an overall scale, The Second Mother is an enjoyable, entertaining & delightfully amusing tale of motherhood, social hierarchy & the roles each class is expected to play without being verbally told. Regina Casé's performance is the real highlight here but it doesn't mean that the input by others is underwhelming. Filled with meaty characters & never losing its funny edge, The Second Mother is definitely a pleasant surprise.