I didn’t expect The Heiresses to break me open like this. It’s a film where nothing much seems to happen on the surface—an aging woman drives a car, serves drinks, keeps her mouth shut—but everything inside her is shifting.
Watching Chela tiptoe out of the gilded, crumbling home she shared with her long-time partner, and into a world full of longing, class tension, and late-blooming desire, felt like watching someone silently revolt against decades of routine. This isn’t a story about being a lesbian. It’s about what it means to suddenly feel something after believing you were done feeling. About finding yourself, awkwardly, breathlessly, at 60.
There’s a kind of ache in this film I’ve rarely seen portrayed with such quiet precision. And for once, queerness isn’t a tragedy or a proclamation—it simply is, and that’s what makes it revolutionary.
The Heiresses Official Trailer
Chela (Ana Brun) and Chiquita (Margarita Irún) have been together for decades, quietly sharing a life in the decaying grandeur of their inherited home in Asunción. With family fortunes depleted and debts rising, Chiquita takes the fall and ends up in prison. Left behind, Chela—timid, passive, and socially withdrawn—starts driving a neighbor to bridge games for cash.
Soon, she meets Angy (Ana Ivanova), a lively, flirtatious woman who awakens feelings long buried. As Chela starts to see herself—and her desires—anew, she begins to challenge the structures that once defined her. But stepping into freedom after decades of silence is anything but simple.
A reclusive painter slowly awakening to independence and desire after her long-time partner is imprisoned.
Ana Brun
Ana Brun is a Paraguayan stage actress who made her film debut at age 66 in The Heiresses. Her nuanced and controlled performance earned her the Silver Bear for Best Actress at Berlinale, making her a symbol of late-blooming cinematic brilliance.
Chela’s strong-willed partner who manages their household and finances, until her arrest upends their quiet existence.
Margarita Irún
Margarita Irún is a renowned Paraguayan actress with decades of theater experience. Her grounded, commanding presence contrasts beautifully with Ana Brun’s quiet fragility.
A charming, confident woman who introduces Chela to a different kind of intimacy and possibility.
Ana Ivanova
Ana Ivanova brings complexity to Angy: flirtatious yet gentle, bold yet wounded. Her scenes with Chela crack open the film’s emotional core.
The Heiresses Review
Review
⭐ Story – 4.8/5
This is not a film about being lesbian. It’s a film about being seen—at an age when women are often erased. The Heiresses tells a deeply personal story about a woman breaking free from the weight of routine, inheritance, and caretaking. It’s subtle, slow, and beautifully restrained, capturing a late-in-life emotional awakening with honesty and grace.
⭐ Acting – 5.0/5
Ana Brun’s debut performance is nothing short of extraordinary. She barely moves, barely speaks—but her silence roars. Her portrayal of Chela won her the Silver Bear at Berlinale, and rightfully so. Margarita Irún as Chiquita exudes control and familiarity, while Ana Ivanova as Angy is effortlessly magnetic.
⭐ Chemistry – 4.3/5
The chemistry between Chela and Angy is quietly electric. It’s not about overt passion but about subtle glances, awkward pauses, and the rekindling of something long dormant. The film lets these micro-moments breathe, making their tension and connection all the more palpable.
⭐ Production – 4.6/5
Marcelo Martinessi’s direction is full of restraint and precision. The camera lingers, often from Chela’s point of view, turning domestic spaces into emotional prisons. The sound design is minimal, the pacing unhurried, and the atmosphere thick with melancholy.
⭐ Ending – 4.5/5
Chela’s final decision—to drive off alone, leaving everything behind—feels both painful and empowering. It’s an ambiguous yet emotionally precise ending, rejecting easy resolution in favor of a woman finally writing her own story.
💬 My Take
I didn’t expect a film about two 60-something Paraguayan women to hit me this hard. But The Heiresses burrowed into that part of me that fears aging, fears comfort, fears being forgotten. Chela is a woman who has been protected for so long that even desire feels dangerous. Watching her fall in love again—or maybe for the first time—was like witnessing a flower open in winter.
This is not just a story about queer love. It’s about class, aging, and how liberation often comes wrapped in loneliness. But it’s also about bravery—because starting over, especially in your 60s, is perhaps the bravest thing of all.
The Heiresses Information
🏆 Awards
68th Berlin International Film Festival (2018)
🥈 Silver Bear – Best Actress: Ana Brun
🎖 Golden Bear – Best Film (Nominee)
🎖 Teddy Award – Best LGBTQ Film (Nominee)
66th San Sebastián International Film Festival
🎖 Horizons Award (Nominee)
The Heiresses was Paraguay’s official submission to the 91st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.