Movie review: “Reinas,” a story about separation and reconnection

The film “Reinas” (Queens) takes place in Lima, Peru, in the 1990s, when the country was going through a civil war that killed nearly 70,000 people. When their mother gets a job in the United States, sisters Aurora and Lucia are faced with moving out of their home country forever. Before leaving, Carlos, their estranged father, comes back into their lives.

In a tale about family, migration and change, “Reinas” is receiving a lot of attention in the film world. After “Reinas” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival last January and won the Grand Prix at the Berlinale, the Swiss government selected the film as its submission to the Best International Film category of the 2025 Oscars.

“Migration and emigration are omnipresent in most countries. When you have such a touching film combined with a great cast, it definitely has great potential for the Academy Awards to represent Switzerland,” says Andreas Bühlmann, the head of festivals and markets for the promotion agency SWISS FILMS. 

The film’s story is loosely inspired by the experience of its Swiss-Peruvian director Klaudia Reynicke. Like the film’s protagonists, Reynicke also had to leave Peru at a young age to escape the country’s civil war. With her Peruvian co-writer Diego Vega, Reynicke explores the difficult feelings of leaving your life behind.

“[Creating this film] has been an amazing way to reconnect with my country,” says Reynicke. “I had gotten to the point where I didn’t know how Peruvian I was [anymore] because I felt I didn’t know a lot about my country… [The film] goes back to those roots.”

The movie is a love letter to Peru through the conversations between the two sisters and their deep connection to the Andean country. The film delves into signature characteristics of Peruvian society, such as Peruvian mysticism. It does all this whilst being critical of the 1990s Peruvian government for disrupting the tranquility for many of its citizens.

Through the sister’s different reactions to their impending departure, the movie unfolds. Reynicke says she relates the most to the two sisters. Lucia wants to be with her family at all times no matter where they go, but Aurora feels the despair of leaving more sharply since she’s the older sister and has lived more of her life in Peru. Aurora’s last days in the country become a cruel reminder of all the people she will leave behind. Her longing to stay deepens continuously, causing her to make unwise choices, like breaking the enforced military curfew.

The film explores complex characters. Carlos, the girls’ father, is a secretive person who closes himself off from his children. He lies repeatedly about his career, but several moments in the film tease the mystery of Carlos’ past. Old friends who Carlos runs into while back in his daughters’ lives call him “Crazy Carlos,” adding a sense of underlying mischief to his character. 

It feels like Carlos’ lies come from insecurities and disappointment in himself. By the end of the film, there is still not much known about his past, but during their last days together, he tries to form a stronger bond with his children, constantly calling them his “reinas” (queens). Besides returning to farewell their journey, Carlos also reentered their lives because their mother Elena needs him to sign the parental travel consent forms so that the children can leave the country.

It’s clear throughout the film that he’s trying to avoid signing those consent forms because he doesn’t want the children and Elena to leave — a final attempt to glue the family back together after being the one to break it. By the end of the film, he comes to realize that their separation is inevitable, but in the long run, all hope is certainly not lost.

In fact, Reynicke says “the dad was much darker” in the original script. 

“I decided to actually look for an actor that would give us something else,” says Reynicke. Gonzalo Molina, the actor who played Carlos, brought “this kind of aura that is very light,” she says. “He has a lot of tenderness.”

The film includes humorous moments. In one scene, Lucia and her friend secretly perform a ritual meant to summon the ghost of Lucia’s aunt, Memicita. The scene gets hilariously creepy once Memicita’s ghost violently slams their door, and they both realize this was probably not the best idea. The character of Aunt Memicita is an apparent reference to Peruvian mysticism, and how the living and dead members of a family casually co-exist.

The film also includes heartbreaking moments. Aurora and Lucia get in trouble with the police for breaking the government curfew in one of the more distressing scenes. The absence of safety in their own country was hard for them to accept.

While Elena is determined to move her children to a safer environment, it was surprising to see her almost give in to her children’s wishes of staying in Lima towards the end of the film. Even more surprising is how Carlos ultimately talks her out of staying, reminding her of the dangers.

Reynicke, who has her own similar childhood memories, explains that now that she is older, she has a deeper understanding of how moving away was also difficult for her mother. 

“What would I do if I was in the same condition?” asks Reynicke. “What did my mother do?”

Being a humorous and bittersweet film about the struggles that come with migration, the film “Reinas” shows that there is always something to gain by losing something. The sisters leave their home forever, but they rebuild a relationship with their father that was once buried deep within each of their hearts. 

– Story by Chioma Ukaobasi

– Copy edited by Michelle Benitez