Comedy – drama
107 min
Argentina 2025
Watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81594315
Summary:
The film is a dramatization inspired by real events. It tells the story of Martha Hoffmann, an eccentric and wealthy 82-year-old woman who is forcibly admitted to a psychiatric ward after her daughters claim she is unable to take care of herself. They refer to the diagnosis of frontal lobe dementia that was recently made during a 27-day period of involuntary hospitalization and evaluation. The daughters are open about their belief that their mother is squandering the family fortune, and the admitting psychiatrist confirms that the diagnosis would probably not have been made in the case of a poor patient.
A legal expert is assigned to the case to assess the validity of this new admission, and we follow his attempts to interview the contradictory patient. As they spend time together, he becomes increasingly curious about Martha, who lives an eccentric life and cultivates friendships and romantic relationships with men who are one or two generations younger than her. She is a former professional dancer, is very wealthy, drinks and parties with her artist friends. His examination of the case documents and interviews with Martha’s former therapists reveal that the X-rays that were supposed to confirm the disorder are missing from the case, and that those who knew Martha personally had refused to sign the report with the diagnosis.
Martha is released after much pressure on the hospital from her activist friends. She finally enters into an agreement with her daughters, whereby she regains her freedom in exchange for agreeing never to marry or leave the country. She must also agree to have a guardian. Martha appoints her new friend and legal expert as her guardian. She was able to continue living her extravagant and happy life until she died at the age of 104. Today, compulsory psychiatric treatment is prohibited in Argentina.