FiGa Films
Ana Endara’s debut fiction feature, “Beloved Tropic”, presents a relationship between two women whose lives intersect through a shared dependency in contemporary Panama City. The film centers on Ana María (Jenny Navarrete), a Colombian immigrant and experienced caregiver who harbors a secret, and Mercedes (Paulina García), a wealthy, sharp-tongued high-class woman struggling with the early stages of dementia. What begins as an arrangement between two very different figures quickly transforms into a sensitive yet scattered exploration of autonomy, motherhood, and family.
Original Title: Querido Trópico
Directed by: Ana Endara
Year: 2024
Country: Panama, Colombia
Length: 108 minutes
Andara places the viewer within a colorful, secluded garden, a symbol of both privilege and isolation, where Ana María and Mercedes first meet. This setting becomes a site of tension and strained relationships but later blossoms into a space of care and reciprocity. Ana María, pregnant and without a support network, faces various bureaucratic and social challenges. Her motivation to place herself in this situation is as much about securing her immigration status, as promised by Mercedes’ daughter, as it is about securing a financially stable environment for her unborn child. The film initially appears to be headed towards a commentary on class dynamics and labor exploitation, hinted at through Ana María’s position. The film follows her trajectory from a caregiver whose presence is immediately resisted by Mercedes, but who quickly becomes necessary as the older woman’s cognitive skills begin to slip.
While “Beloved Tropic” sets up a promising interplay between these two characters, the film’s execution misses the mark in its lack of exploration of this dynamic, and by including an additional subplot regarding a secret that Ana María has been keeping that doesn’t feel fully fledged out, seemingly serving as a rather inorganic way to advance the relationship between the two women rather than to add perspective and depth to Ana María’s character and decisions. The early scenes are heavy with foreshadowing of this subplot, offering a clear trajectory that leaves little room for narrative surprise. This predictability and Andara’s decision to not explore both this arc’s cause and implications distract from the film’s strengths rather than enriching the central story, preventing the film from engaging in a deeper critique of the structural inequalities it hints at but never fully interrogates. The initial promise of a nuanced class analysis dissipates as the focus shifts more narrowly to the interpersonal experience of womanhood, sacrificing the broader context that could have provided a richer, more layered commentary on power and dependency.
The performances of the two lead actresses mirror this imbalance. Veteran actress Paulina García embodies Mercedes with fierceness and immense tragedy. Her portrayal captures the duality of a woman who has always been in command, now grappling with the indignity of losing control, not just over her life but over her sense of self. García’s performance shines through her subtle oscillations between authority and helplessness, making her character a fascinating figure of contradiction. In contrast, Jenny Navarrete’s Ana María, while decently conveying the quiet resilience of her character, does not display much beyond the surface of her struggles. There is a lack of transparency in Navarrete’s portrayal, which creates a disparity in the depth of engagement between the two characters, and never lets the audience look beyond her sometimes frustratingly inscrutable expressions. While Ana María is written as a woman with agency, her characterization does not fully articulate the complexity of her internal world, limiting the film’s emotional resonance.
“Beloved Tropic” shows a portrait of two women’s lives intersecting, bound by necessity but initially divided by privilege and class, finding harmony through unexpected mutual understanding and shared similarities. While the film succeeds in capturing the dynamics of caregiving and -the loss of- autonomy, it does not fully engage with the dynamics of power and class that it initially sets up. There is a tenderness to Andara’s storytelling, a sensitivity to the portrayal of isolation and connection between the film’s protagonists. Yet, the film’s reluctance to push further into these themes leaves it feeling somewhat unresolved.
“Beloved Tropic” screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Discovery lineup.
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