La Sagrada Familia is a wonderful example of the fresh new cinema emerging from Chile. It captures the intricacies of a family's emotionally charged interactions with rare perspicacity but also with the intimacy of a home video made by the family itself.
A traditional, well-to-do Chilean family's Easter holidays are invaded by their son's first girlfriend, Sofía, as she brings with her unbridled sexuality and troublesome curiosity. Sofia's entrance into this serious and bourgeois family sets off a chain of events and emotions that shakes their well-set foundations as she asks the awkward questions that most families are happy to ignore.
Taking place over three days, La Sagrada Familia was shot documentary-style using handheld cameras and improvisation by first-time feature director Sebastián Campos, who relies on understated reaction shots to tell much of this story. Transcending cultural differences, the film rings true in its realist depiction of everyday family relations, coloured with lashings of humour and irony. An understated gem.