Experiencing Interruptions?

The tenant

Maria is a Colombian woman living in Mexico, she has recently moved into her own place after breaking up with her boyfriend. She meets Sophie, a French woman who becomes Maria's tenant. Shortly after Covid outbreaks and frontiers are closed. This unplanned situation forces Sophie to stay longer, the struggle to understand each other makes their lives miserable but finally a relationship builds up regardless of the barriers of language and cultural differences between them. Notwithstanding, this relationship is not what it seems, unveiled intentions wrap around it.

  • Bernardo Mota Careaga
    Director
    Voces de la Ciudad, City voices (2007) Casa de muñecas, Dolls house (2006) No que no tronabas pistolita, Shoot little gun (2006) Redención, Redention (1998) La Plasta, Pain in the neck (1997)
  • Bernardo Mota Careaga
    Writer
  • María Nela Sinisterra
    Writer
  • Sandra De Silva De La Torre
    Producer
    We Vanish (2018)
  • Joachim Zell
    Producer
    1917, Alita, Mulan, Blade Runner 2049
  • Maria Nela Sinisterra
    Key Cast
    "Maria"
  • Yael Albores
    Key Cast
    "Sophie"
  • Abraham Lombrozo Levy
    Key Cast
    "Marlon"
  • Sandra De Silva De La Torre
    cinematographer
    My Grandma Matilde, El malacate y la sombra, The Gravedigger's Tale, Tea + Cake, Wasted
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    La Inquilina
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Thirler, suspense
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 26 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 10, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    18,300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Mexico
  • Country of Filming:
    Mexico
  • Language:
    French, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Alexa LF
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Bernardo Mota Careaga

Bernardo Mota Careaga was born in 1974 and is originally from Mexico City, where he got his degree in communication at the Universidad Intercontinental. Then he moved to Spain to study a directing course at Centro Universitario de Artes de Madrid (TAI).
After graduating he came back to Mexico to start his career. He and has directed several short films, music videos, commercials and TV series.

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Director Statement

During the lockdown I was in contact with Maria Nela and over our conversations the idea of this story came along. The Tenant is a short film which's core is the need to put out loath and fears that started bubbling up due to isolation and lockdown. Who do we livewith? Even worse who will be in charge of our death?

The story is inspired by a dream, that Maria Nela had, which was the result of the fear generated by the excess of information and misinformation of the pandemia over in Colombia that lead to the unknown. At the beginning of the pandemia the scientific and healthcare world was clueless, a new virus that needed to be understood in a short period of time in order to fight against is. With so little information about CORONA every country took different mesures and habitants where filled with real and fake news this lead to a fear of loneliness, confinement, isolation, separation, disease, and uttermost, DEATH.

Through this tale, I want to make you bear in mind our experiences during confinement, to value who we are, what we have, but mostly how we live it. The Tenant is a thriller where we unveil the relationship between two perfect strangers who live together during the lockdown and in times of death.