For unassuming maid Eve (Gabriela Cartol), daily existence is little more than cleaning up messes left behind by the wealthy and tending to the small emergencies that make up life at a high-end Mexico City hotel. Born on the wrong side of the class divide, the shy 24-year-old tries to savor whatever victory she can manage — acquiring a glamorous red dress from the lost and found, the promise of a coveted spot cleaning the exclusive 42nd floor, and all-too-brief phone conversations with the son she barely has time to see. Yet in the grind of tending to the needs of the well-heeled, Eve finds herself open to a new way of living, a world of books, relationships, and perhaps finally earning her GED equivalent through a hotel program. Yet she quickly finds that coming into her own isn’t easy in a world of limited possibilities in this sly, powerful feature debut from writer/director Lila Avilés.

In competition for the FIPRESCI Prize