Laura moved into a luxury cottage by the sea to keep an eye on the finishing work at her dream garden barbecue. While two workers are on the construction site, the head of construction begins to seduce the woman. Dancing, a glass of wine and a vulgar flirt end in the bedroom. A quick one, however, has surprising consequences. The workers, seeing a satisfied boss coming out of Lara’s bedroom in the morning, lose respect for their client. The limits of decency and the basics of cultural behavior cease to matter much for them. Rude men begin to act bolder – they do nothing, spin around the house and make crude jokes. The woman feels increasing anxiety and growing uncertainty. She doesn’t know what the cheeky workers are capable of. However, she has no intention of backing down.
Verónica Chen in “High Tide” offers viewers a slow show with carefully built tension. Her production is a disturbing home invasion taking place at a surprisingly slow pace. The director avoids shocking with violence, exaggerated villains or extreme struggle for survival. Chen introduces an atmosphere of danger without obvious cinematic clichés. She creates a raw and economical in the means production which is in the same time full of emotions. Her story about class differences and the devaluation of women is, above all, authentic. So it hits viewers like a well-placed sledgehammer.
WORLD PREMIERE: Sundance Film Festival 2020
Age restriction: 16+
director: Verónica Chen screenwriter: Verónica Chen cast: Gloria Carrá, Jorge Sesán, Cristian Salguero, Mariana Chaud, Héctor Bordoni and others director of photography: Fernando Lockett editor: Leandro Aste music: Juan Sorrentino language: Spanish subtitles: Polish