The Second Mother

For many years, Val has lived and worked as a housekeeper for a wealthy family in São Paulo. Dutifully and with devotion, she takes care of everything and puts up with a lot. She is like a second mother to their 17-year-old son Fabinho. One day, her own daughter Jéssica, whom she left behind with a friend when she was a little girl, comes to her to take the university entrance exam. And this upsets not only Val's view of the world, but also the strict power structure in the house. For Jéssica is not prepared to submit to the rigid rules of her status and mixes up the household. In "Summer with Mamã", director Anna Muylaert subtly and yet very amusingly tells of the social changes that Brazil has been experiencing for a good decade. Camila Márdila as Jéssica embodies with wonderful self-confidence and cheekiness one of those young women who demand their right to participate. The soul of the film, however, is Brazil's film star Regina Casé as the housekeeper Val, who plays her way into the hearts of the audience with wit, charm and her effervescent energy.