Reinas (Queens) is the Swiss Oscar entry for the Best International Film in the 97th Academy Awards. It is set in Lima, Peru, where the director Klaudia Reynicke, grew up. It’s 1992 and the country is in turmoil, with economic pressures, food shortages, the military deployed on the streets, and an evening curfew.
Elena (Jimena Lindo) has gotten a job in the United States and is planning to take her two daughters, teenage Aurora (Luana Vega) and a younger sister, Lucia (Abril Gjurinovic), with her. But first their estranged father, Carlos (Gonzalo Molina), must sign a notarized consent form. He has not been in their lives much, so it is a surprise to all when he shows up for Aurora’s birthday party and tries to establish a relationship with the girls. This involves trips to the beach so Aurora can see her friends, racing the car through the sand dunes, and lunches together. He stalls on signing the form, which gives the girls hope that maybe they will not have to move after all.
Carlos is not a very truthful fellow. He’s been driving a taxi but he tells the girls that he is a government security officer. Still, as he gets to know them – he calls them his “Queens” -- he understands instinctively that they are drawn to him less out of familial love and more because they are scared of leaving.
This is a fine film in the coming-of-age genre where we see how each of the girls adapts to new circumstances. They have a close relationship, which rounds out the possibilities for their futures.