FILM SCREENINGS

Of Love and Other Demons

2010. Costa Rica/Colombia. Directed by Hilda Hidalgo. With Eliza Triana, Pablo Derqui, Margarita Rosa de Francisco. Based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez, Of Love and Other Demons is set during a time of inquisition and slavery in colonial Cartagena de Indias. The child of delinquent parents, 13-year-old Sierva María is raised in her family's crumbling mansion by African slaves. When a rabid dog bites the outgoing, curious girl, her superstitious guardians assume that she is possessed, and her father reluctantly sends her away to a convent to be healed. Cayetano, the passionate young protégé of the bishop who is charged with overseeing her exorcism, is unprepared to confront his own demons. Costa Rican director Hidalgo’s debut uncovers an intimate personal narrative within a dreamlike landscape of noblemen, lepers, slaves, and clergy. In Spanish; English subtitles. 97 min.