The Follies 2025 Movie Review
Nothing gets us more stressed than other people, it is how we deal with them that defines us. On the other hand, it might be that we are the ones who are causing stress for those around us, we just aren’t aware of it. Either way, life is a powder keg with a 24 hour fuse slowly burning away for everyone.
In this Mexican anthology from writer-director Rodrigo García, the lives of six women intersect over the course of one day, each pushed to breaking point. At the centre of it all is Renata (Cassandra Ciangherotti), a woman under house arrest awaiting trial for public affray. Dad Ismael (Alfredo Castro) suspects Renata is bipolar and brings in psychiatrist Irlanda (Ángeles Cruz) to diagnose Renata for a possible reduced sentence.
When not bouncing off the walls screaming to be let out, Renata goofs about in front of her barred window to attract passers by. One couple who stop are vets Aurelio (Raúl Briones) and his girlfriend Penélope (Naian González Norvind), on their to euthanise a sick dog. Renata sarcastically reckons Penélope kills animals as it eases her real life issues which really stays with her during the procedure, leading to an argument with Aurelio afterwards.
Meanwhile, work colleague Miranda (Ilse Salas) visits, inconveniencing her mother who is sat outside with an Uber driver whilst Renata tries to get Miranda in bed! Elsewhere, Irlanda when she attends a lunch hosted by her pious mother Paz (Luisa Huertas) to celebrate her late father’s birthday, to which Paz has invited Irlanda’s ex-husband Facundo (Robert Sosa).
García is not a director I am familiar with despite much of his work being made in Hollywood rather than this native Mexico. However, this doesn’t appear to have dampened his sense of national identity if The Follies is any indication. The themes of stress, societal and familial pressure are universal, García puts them under a microscope with a distinctly Hispanic flair in this smooth mix of acerbic humour and tense drama.
Even though the individual segments essentially work as a stand alone piece, the connection is Renata, whether as a direct consequence of association with her or as a launching point for a future arc. Renata is like a planet – everyone else is pulled into her orbit one way or another. We have to wait until the final act before we learn the truth about her, until then she remains an enigmatic, often fun but sometimes hard to figure out character.
At first, Renata is shown as a bundle of energy as she runs on her treadmill in between writing and dancing, much to the annoyance of beleaguered father Ismael. Nothing really says bipolar at this point, whilst her ankle tag and impending court case is treated almost lightly, falsely teasing this to be a comic affair. Admittedly, there is some humour with Renata’s whip smart dialogue echoing the free flowing, waspish sting of Almodóvar at his most festive.
The opening segment introduces us to the key players, Renata’s studio flat acts as a revolving door as they make themselves known before disappearing to go about their day. First up are Penélope and Aurelio, the former is shaken by Renata asking if killing animals is any different from killing people, and what a dog’s last thoughts are. Then, as she puts down a beloved dog, the reaction from her heartbroken owners hits Penélope hard, more so when she learns the dog is called Penny (same as my pug, Wah!).
Penélope gets off easily compared to Irlanda being ambushed by the man she divorced after years of abuse and infidelity. Facundo is sober now and wants a second chance, with her whole devout family are behind him. As the lone atheist Irlanda’s professional skills are no match for their indoctrinated mentality. In the most devastating moment of the whole film, mother Paz unloads her true feelings towards her daughter in a cold, calm, venomous, and precise tirade.
Following this, Renata’s actress friend Soledad (Natalia Solián) attends creative theatre class and is attracted to a deaf male visitor. As the theme is physical connection, Sol uses it to get close to him, but when he crosses the line Sol gets uncomfortable. Tutor Martina (Natalia Plascencia) tells her to suck it up as they were creating art using the reality of their feelings or some such pretentious cobblers, giving Sol no satisfaction or public confidence thereafter
Closing with the topically aware and morally provocative reveal behind Renata’s situation, the plot sees Ismael received an offer on his old house from a rich business woman which leads to an unexpected and open ending to the film. The whole segment comes across as an isolated rant from García yet it cleverly incorporates all the themes raised in the separate skits, coming full circle in Renata being the centrifugal force of the entire saga.
Despite the interlinking factors, each chapter possesses its own ebb and flow, to fit the specific idea discussed and its attendant mood in lieu of an overarching plot without losing sight of the surrounding context in which they fit. García’s direction is emotion and mood over visual flair but doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to set up a shot or get the most from a scene be it humour or intense drama.
Boasting an ensemble cast who fulfil every remit asked of them from their roles, it feels unfair to single one out but Cassandra Ciangherotti’s protean performance as Renata balancing giddy, obtuse energy with emotionally distraught gravity is the key to the whole experience. But it is the overall collective effort that keeps us glued to the screen should a segment not excite us, like Soledad’s segment didn’t for me due to an excess of the arty theatre class exercises.
Renata and co’s stories in The Follies are told with a combination of empathy and bluntness via García’s masterly hand, making for a deeply resonant and thoughtful commentary on society’s worst traits.
