Petra Costa
Brazil
2012 | 01:22:00

Elena moves to New York with the same dream her mother had: to become a movie actress. She leaves behind a childhood spent in hiding during Brazil’s military dictatorship and her teenage years amid theater plays and homemade videos. She also leaves behind Petra, her 7-year-old sister. Two decades later, Petra also becomes an actress and goes to New York in search of Elena. All she has are a few clues about her: home movies, newspaper clippings, diaries and letters. At any moment, Petra expects to find Elena walking in the streets. Gradually, the features of the two sisters are confused. Elena is a film about the persistence of memories, the irreversibility of loss, the effects of her sister’s absence. Elena is also a film about the adventure of growing up. It is also the story of three women, which dialogues with themes such as family and maternity, pain and separation.