THE IVY
[HIEDRA]
Stuck in a state of arrested development, 30-something Azucena (Simone Bucio, THE UNTAMED) mostly keeps to herself, working a dead-end job and caring for her elderly grandfather. But she starts to come out of her shell when she connects with a group of teenagers at a nearby orphanage. What starts as spying soon becomes something more intense as she takes a special interest in 17-year-old Jose (Francis Eddú Llumiquinga). A spark of connection draws them closer, even if Azucena might have complicated motivations for getting to know the young man. Ecuadorian filmmaker Ana Cristina Barragán (ALBA, OCTOPUS SKIN) won the Best Screenplay Award in the Orizzonti sidebar at the 2025 Venice Film Festival for her devastating meditation on trauma and desire, told with masterful restraint and featuring stirring performances. –Josh Gardner
DIR/SCR Ana Cristina Barragán; PROD Joe Houlberg Silva, Alex de Icaza, Gabriela Maldonado, Montse Pujol Solà, Thierry Leunovel. Ecuador/Mexico/France/Spain, 2025, color, 98 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 98 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026
Genre: Drama
