Other Girls

Against a lively street music soundtrack, filmmaker Alexandra Hyland has woven together a sassy yet tender tale of friendship, with an undercurrent exposing the reality of women’s (lack of) reproductive rights in Chile. Free-spirited university student Rafaela’s carefree life is shaken when she falls pregnant. Desperate to get an abortion in a country where doing so could land her in jail and unable to fund one illegally, her situation shakes her world. But thankfully, she doesn’t face it alone by virtue of her best friend and sidekick, Gabriela. In her directorial debut, Hyland skilfully captures the incongruity of the inseparable duo’s lives as they move between their fuzzy pink apartment and the rough and raw backstreets of Santiago. Las demás harnesses the power of comedy to denounce the criminalisation of abortion, yet, quirky dead-end jobs and debauchery at a lively costume party are also balanced by moments of tenderness and upheaval. A funky portrait of two friends on the cusp of adulthood, Las demás is a poignant reminder of the power of unbreakable bonds that keep you afloat when life inevitably throws up its challenges. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)