In Nora’s Will (Cinco dias sin Nora), a family comes together to bury a mother and ex-wife who, after many failed attempts, has succeeded in taking her life. Director Mariana Chenillo depicts the fault lines in a a Mexican Jewish family that is rehashing old grievances while mourning Nora.
Judaism comes into focus, as the family clashes with a rabbi and Jewish communal norms in Mexico City over the burial in consecrated ground of a woman who has committed suicide.
The absorbing and rewarding film offers up humor and thought-provoking insights into contemporary Jewish life, in a Mexican Jewish milieu that is rarely portrayed in film.
As part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF), Nora’s Will screens 7 p.m. Monday, April 26 and 5 p.m. Thursday, April 29 at the St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main St. S.E., Minneapolis.
Here’s a trailer (the 92-minute film is in Spanish, with English subtitles):
