Parts of a Family / Partes de una Familia

PARTS OF A FAMILY is a portrait of how a relation between two people after many years of marriage can change from great love into a strangling imprisonment. It’s their son who observes them and tells their story.
Gonzalo and Gina Gutierrez live in a world of their own; a huge villa on a 4.000 square meter estate, near Mexico City. Walls with barbed wire keep the outside world far away. It’s their son, filmmaker Diego Gutierrez who tells their story. Fifty years ago Gonzalo proposed to Gina after one week of dating. They got married after two months. Gonzalo developed a blooming career as a doctor; Gina took care of the children and the house, together with her nanny and other servants.
Gonzalo just retired and claims he has finally discovered his real vocation: writing. He’s about to become 80 and wants to celebrate this with jumping with a parachute. Gina feels lonely, tired and angry. Gonzalo lives his own life without taking her into account. He does not see her value in running the house and he never takes her out. She is too scared to leave the property on her own. The underlying resentment between them becomes more tangible. Their safe haven has paradoxically become their prison, their “cold war” battlefield, it seems. But is there a chance they find each other back?

Trailer

Details

Country of Production
The Netherlands, Mexico

Year of Production
2012

Format
HDCam, Digi Beta Pal

Length
55 / 83 min

Director
Diego Gutiérrez

Production
Bonanza Films in co-production with Diego Gutiérrez and Foprocine

Original Language
Spanish

Subtitles
English

Festivals / Awards

Morelia IFF 2012 (Special Mention)
Ambulante Gira de Documentales 2013
Cartagena IFF 2013
Thessaloniki IDF 2013 (FIPRESCI Award)
Latin American FF Utrecht 2013
Documenta Madrid 2013
Krakow IFF 2013
London MexFest 2013
Lima IFF 2013
ARKIPEL Int. Doc & Experimental FF Jakarta 2013
Netherlands FF Utrecht 2013 (Golden Calf for Best Feature Doc)
Yamagata IDF 2013
L’Alternativa IFF Barcelona 2013
EDOC IDF Quito 2014
Lussas IDF 2014