Home / Movies channel / News | Monday 06 February 2012 |
"Born to Suffer" starring Petra Martinez (Spanish) |
Helmer's well-documented sympathy for the outsider finds expression here in 72-year-old Flora (magnificently played by Petra Martinez), wily and foxlike in both appearance and disposition. Flora's sister has just died, and her three ungrateful nieces, whom she brought up -- Mariana (Mariola Fuentes), Mari Carmen (newcomer Mari Franc Torres) and nun Marta (Malena Alterio) -- gather like vultures with the idea of sending her to the nursing home where Marta works.
Flora is having none of it and heads off with her faithful housekeeper, Purita (Adriana Ozores), who's unworldly to the point of simple-mindedness, to change her will. Flora stipulates the nieces can have the house only on condition that Purita stays with her until her death. To guarantee this -- and to the horror of all -- Flora, in the pic's boldest stroke, marries Purita.
The film starts to get dramatically wobbly when the two see Purita's brother, Ciriaco (Ricard Borras), on a reality TV show, hunting for his long-lost sis. Purita's backstory comes out, and it's frankly incredible that none of it has emerged before now.
