Winner of prizes at both Sundance and Berlin, this uplifting story from Brazil is gently funny, beautifully made and socially astute to boot. Brazilian superstar Regina Casé gives a great performance as Val, a strong, spirited live-in housemaid to a São Paulo family for 13 years. She serves impeccable dinner parties, keeps track of their medicine regimes, and is a confidant and comforter to the family's teenage son. In short, she is the nurturing figure in the household.

All of this is brought into sharp focus with the arrival of Jéssica, Val's biological daughter who she hasn't seen in over ten years. She is warmly received by both Val and her employers, but she assumes equal status with the family, upsetting the hierarchy and sparking a crisis that has been a long time coming. A fresh, contemporary spin on class and family life in Brazil, female director Muylaert has made a thought-provoking, uplifting gem.

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