The Fall of the Queens Review

PLOT: The arrival of a male cousin disrupts the routine of two teenage sisters who live in an isolated home with their aunt. Everything falls apart, with deadly results.

REVIEW: Documentary and shorts filmmaker Lucas Nazareno Turturro has made his narrative feature directorial debut with the Argentine production The Fall of the Queens (a.k.a. Cómo mueren las reinas), working from a screenplay by first-time writers Constanza Boquet (who had a handful of acting credits to her name before this) and producer Mauro Guevara. Together they have crafted a captivating film that’s being marketed as a psychological thriller, but anyone who goes into The Fall of the Queens anticipating an abundance of thrills is going to be let down. Drama would be the more accurate description for the film – although it is a dark, twisted, and tragic drama.

The story centers on teenage sisters Juana – on the brink of 18 and played by Malena Filmus – and Mara – nearing her 15th birthday and played by Lola Abraldes. The girls live in isolation with their aunt Inés (Umbra Colombo) on a country property where they have no computer and there is no phone reception. Add in the fact that Inés is currently seriously distracted by the affair she’s trying to carry on with a married man and the girls are basically alone in the world, spending their days harvesting honey so Inés can sell it. (The film gets its title from their work with bee hives.) Early scenes establish that Juana has a questionable obsession with her own sister, even indicating that she’s attracted to her. They also show that she is fiercely protective of Mara, and will even go so far as to beat a stray dog to death with a shovel after it shows aggression toward her sibling. Then everything falls apart, in Juana’s opinion, when their male teenage cousin Lucio (Franco Rizzaro) shows up. Lucio’s apparently a somewhat troubled kid from a broken home, and the idea is that some time in the country will help straighten him out.

Time in the country without internet doesn’t really do much for Lucio other than give him the chance to smoke and drink with his cousins – and embark on a sexual relationship with Mara. Which, of course, does not sit well with Juana. Never mind that she’ll occasionally wander off to have casual sex with a local. Mara is not allowed to do this sort of thing. It’s clear that the jealousy Juana feels over the Mara/Lucio situation is going to lead their lives in a bad direction, and this is why The Fall of the Queens can be marketed as a thriller. This is the sort of movie that keeps the viewer on edge. We know something bad is going to happen. But when, and how bad is it going to be? Things do go terribly wrong, but even when they do the film never ventures too far into psycho-thriller territory.

Viewers seeking thrills may be disappointed, so the best way to approach The Fall of the Queens is to just allow yourself to get enveloped in the film’s strange atmosphere as you watch the story of Juana and Mara play out. The movie does get quite dark and there are definitely scenes that will make you uncomfortable, even if they’re not thrilling. The film is a terrific drama, and could be a promising start to Turturro’s narrative feature career – if he chooses to continue making movies along the lines of this one. The material he was working with on this one is also twisted enough that it indicates he really could make an effective psychological thriller if he decides to.

The cast Turturro assembled for the film did great work in their roles, making their characters come off like real people. Even if they’re really messed up people. I was shocked to see that Filmus is actually more than a decade older than the character she plays, as she fully and convincingly inhabits the role of the troubled teenager Juana. Juana is so intense and strange with her obsession and jealousy, the viewer sides with Mara… while at the same time disapproving of what she’s doing with Lucio. Since they’re relatives, too. It’s still better than Juana’s creepiness.

If you’re in the mood to watch a twisted drama, it’s highly recommended that you seek out The Fall of the Queens. The movie doesn’t seem to have gotten a whole lot of attention up to this point, which is surprising because it seems like something that should have racked up awards and accolades on the festival circuit and would go over very well with the arthouse crowd. Right now it seems to have “hidden gem” status, but hopefully it will find a large and appreciative audience as it makes its way out into the world. And whether you’re into it or not, at least it won’t take up too much of your time: The Fall of the Queens has a running time of just 83 minutes.

Uncork’d Entertainment is giving The Fall of the Queens a digital release on June 7th.

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