On a summer vacation at her grandparents’ house in Mallorca, teenage Cata spends her days playing tricks on her little sister Eva, annoying her grandmother, conspiring with her grandfather, and flirting with boys. This lazy holiday routine comes to a halt one night when she discovers her grandma’s dead body. The girls’ mom arrives to help, but the role of caretaker she assumes is unwelcome.

Time stops in this house that, strangely, already felt stuck in time. Unable to process her grief, Cata turns to her grandmother’s belongings Suddenly, the objects and clothes that she had never seen before now take on new meaning for her, giving her a sense of purpose. She begins playing dress-up with her grandfather, who is unable and unwilling to move on from this shocking loss. Cata takes on a new role at home, or rather, this new role takes over Cata.

“Forastera” is a hypnotic, playful, and poetic story about how grief and memories are passed down. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.