The Heiresses

The Heiresses is a drama about longtime lesbian couple, Chela and Chiquita. Chela and Chiquita both descend from wealthy families and as such, have enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. However, their financial situation has recently worsened requiring them to sell many of their inherited possessions. Eventually, their debts get so bad that Chiquita is imprisoned for fraud. Chela struggles to adapt to her new, less rich life without her longtime partner. As a way to make money, Chela begins working as a local taxi service primarily for older women in the area. This also causes her to bond with a younger woman named Angy. Through her struggles and being away from her partner, Chela forges new connections and begins a journey of self.

The Heiresses is a simple character drama that elevates itself mostly due to its excellent directing. Seriously guys, this thing is good. While being character focused, The Heiresses is still an interesting movie to look at. The frames are full of visual appeal. There’s also great use of angles to likewise keep this small story engaging and interesting to look at.

The Heiresses is also a rare WLW film in a few ways. First of all, Chela and Chiquita are both over 50. It’s always welcome to see queer characters over a certain age as opposed to all representation being trendy 20-somethings. It’s also a story with queer leads where their sexuality has little to do with the conflict. Chela and Chiquita’s relationship has no bearing on the fact that suddenly, they have no income and Chiquita goes to jail. And while Chela has a fliratation with Angy, the story is ultimately about Chela self actualizing and breaking out of her shell.

That’s another way The Heiresses differs from many WLW film. Lots of WLW films have a female character engaging in a queer relationship as a stepping stone to self discovery. The Heiresses is almost the opposite. Having been together for decades, Chela loses herself over time. It’s only when her partner becomes largely absent from her life that she begins to discover again who she is. This is a journey to self actualization that doesn’t involve romance as the only path one can take in order to get to that point. That’s great to see.

It’s also an interesting choice that the focus character in the story wasn’t Chiquita, a rich woman who ends up in jail but Chela who remains free. Women in prison stories carry a lot of inherent drama and had I not know a summary, that is where I would have predicted the focus would lie. And there is absolutely enough material that a companion film could be made about Chiquita. It’s incredibly impressive how The Heiresses chose the less overtly dramatic story to focus on any still made it engaging. It’s also impressive how a whole two characters in the film are interesting and well-rounded enough that they could have supported a whole narrative film around them. That’s two more than most films have.

The Heiresses is just really good. Its direction makes a simple, well done story absolutely sing. It also tells a story that’s not something I feel like I’ve seen over and over again. The film feels fresh, polished and brimming with life.

Overall rating: 8.3/10

Other WLW films in similar genres