Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival

La sombra del querer - Love from the shadow

  • Director: Ale Gálvez
  • Country: Chile
  • Duration: 19'52"
  • Genre: Fiction
  • Institute: Universidad Mayor
  • Language: Spanish

Synopsis: Marta lives alone under a highway overpass, where she works as a phone scammer from her makeshift office. On Mother’s Day, she reaches out to her daughter, Laura, who refuses to have any contact with her. Desperate, Marta lies, pretending to be ill, and convinces Laura to meet her. She waits for her daughter until nightfall—but in vain. In the end, Marta leaves and returns to her life as a scammer.

Profile: Ale Gálvez is a 23-year-old filmmaker from the island of Chiloé. She has served as director and writer in most of her projects, such as Ausencia (2021), documentary Villa Francia y detainees of the dictatorship (2023), La Sombra del Querer (2024), Documentary Paula (2023), among the others. The themes of her films vary between social problems, old age, mental illness and human rights.