Mexico, 2015, 75’
directed by: Rodrigo Plá
written by: Laura Santullo
cast: Jana Raluy, Sebastián Aguirre Boeda, Hugo Albores, Nora Huerta, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Emilio Echevarría, Ilya Cazes, Noe Hernandez, Veronica Falcon
cinematography: Odei Zabaleta
edited by: Miguel Schverdfinger
producers: Sandino Saravia Vinay, Rodrigo Plá
production: Buenaventura Cine, Fidecine, Rio Negro Producciones
Venice IFF 2015; Chicago IFF 2015; Warsaw FF 2015
A woman, her son and a gun on one side and the incompetent bureaucracy and corrupt system on the other. Middle-aged Sonia wakes up in the night when her seriously ill husband Guillermo falls out of bed in severe pain. Despite Guillermo's grave condition, the insurance refuses to pay an expensive therapy that would keep him alive. However, Sonia is persistent and unyielding. Having made her rounds of offices – all in vain – she breaks down and takes matters into her own hands. In a desperate attempt to ensure the treatment that her husband badly needs, she abducts Guillermo's doctor and sets out on a violent rampage, dragging her son along. A Monster with a Thousand Heads is a gripping socio-political thriller about an individual who takes on the system. Skillfully manipulating different perspectives, the film successfully balances the plot and viewers' interest to the very end.
Rodrigo Plá was born in Uruguay. He always writes his scripts together with his spouse/co-writer Laura Santullo. His thriller The Zone won him Best Debut Award in Venice. The Desert Within was shown at Zagreb Film Festival in 2008, winning a special mention in the feature-length competition. The Delay was the Uruguayan entry for the Academy Award. A Monster with a Thousand Heads premiered at Venice.
