‘In Her Place’: a captivating blend of true-crime and feminist fable

In the widely regarded Raymond Carver story “Neighbors,” the unsettling experience of occupying another person’s home underscores a peculiar out-of-body thrill. This theme of transiently living someone else’s life permeates “In Her Place”, a fascinatingly peculiar blend of true crime, domestic melodrama, and feminist fable. Directed by the celebrated Chilean filmmaker, Maite Alberdi, this film marks an uneasy but intriguing foray into fiction for a director known for her critically acclaimed documentaries.

Blurring the lines: Fact and fiction intertwined

Alberdi’s body of work, characterized by a unique mix of procedural storytelling and whimsical human comedy, remains evident in “In Her Place.” There exists a thematic continuity with her previous works, such as the hard-to-classify “The Mole Agent.” The film revolves around Mercedes, a working mother and secretary in 1950s Santiago, who finds herself embroiled in a high-profile murder trial. Elisa Zulueta’s portrayal of Mercedes, a mousy yet curious character, adds depth to this fictional drama inspired by real-life events.

A real crime of passion

The true-criminal twist in “In Her Place” comes from the actual case of Maria Carolina Geel, a prominent Chilean author who dramatically shot her lover in 1955. Geel’s story intrigued Alberdi enough to craft a narrative around it. Her trial, controversially minimal three-year sentence, and subsequent presidential pardon, alongside her confessional autofiction written during incarceration, form an enthralling backdrop. Despite these rich narrative threads, the film sometimes struggles to equally invest viewers in Mercedes’ perspective, often seen more as a vessel for the director’s fascination than a fully realized character.

A compelling protagonist: Mercedes’ journey

From the get-go, Mercedes is painted as an overworked and underappreciated factotum to the men in her life. Her bumbling husband, who runs a portrait photography business, and her dependent adult sons leave her juggling numerous thankless tasks. Her professional role as a secretary to a senior judge also demands a continuous display of administrative prowess.

It is during one such seemingly mundane task of picking up clothes from Geel’s apartment that Mercedes’ life begins to shift. Geel’s luxurious and unoccupied home starkly contrasts Mercedes’ cramped living space. This glamorous setting, replete with high fashion and elegant décor, becomes an enticing refuge for Mercedes, allowing her to escape her reality and indulge in her unfulfilled dreams of independence and empowerment.

Visual storytelling: Daylight noir aesthetics

The film’s stylistic choices greatly enhance its narrative. The gauzy cinematography by Sergio Armstrong, the gleaming production design by Rodrigo Bazaes Nieto, and Muriel Parra’s pristine costumes create a slightly heightened visual style, reminiscent of daylight noir aesthetics. These elements underscore Mercedes’ escapist fantasies and provide a vivid backdrop to her internal journey.

However, the digital sheen of the lensing slightly undermines the intended illusion, though this nuance feels more consequential to the audience than to the character. There’s a mordant wit in the irony that Mercedes’ liberation stems from a man’s rash crime of passion.

Missed opportunities: Stymied narrative potential

Despite its promising setup, “In Her Place” encounters narrative hurdles. The script, penned by Inés Bortagaray and Paloma Salas, holds back from diving into darker, more penetrating possibilities. Additionally, Zulueta’s portrayal of Mercedes remains bright and optimistically plucky, avoiding the obsessive undertones that such a transformation might entail. Consequently, Mercedes’ dual life yields minimal significant consequences, and the intriguing intrusion of fiction into fact remains underexplored.

As Chile’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar, In Her Place exemplifies a commendable short-film premise wrapped around an untapped subject. Ultimately, despite Mercedes’ arc of self-realization, it is Geel’s gripping real-life story that lingers in the mind, often overshadowing the imagined narrative.

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