Two sisters argue and drift apart. Then an unexpected visitor sets them on the same path.


A SIMPLE RECIPE is used with permission from Ella Kirby and Maite Jauregui. Learn more at https://maite-jauregui.com.


Ana is preparing a meal at her home in London when she gets a visit from her sister Sara. The two chat about their mother and their nana for a bit before Sara tells her some important news: Sara has decided to move from London, far from Ana. Sara wants a fresh start from a stale relationship, but she's also just a flightier, more free-spirited person.

Ana doesn't approve, and the two sisters argue fiercely. But just as they seem on the verge of splitting apart, an unlikely visitor arrives to set them back on the same path.

Directed by Ella Kirby from a script by Maite Jaurigui (who also stars as Ana), this intimate short family drama captures both the bond and the differences between two sisters who have been deeply intertwined in one another's lives but are confronting a big change ahead of them. Through the excellent, beautifully layered writing, the narrative explores themes of what we inherit from one generation to the next, and how a connection to our ancestors can be an informative and even healing one.

The film takes place almost entirely in a cramped entryway and kitchen, divided only by a wall. But that wall is used effectively to visually divide the sisters from one another, or push them closer at crucial junctures, especially as the pair chat warmly about the meal Ana is preparing, which she learned from her mother, who learned it from their nana. The tenor of the conversation is light, but the ideas flowing underneath are profound, as the sisters speculate on their grandmother's life, the differences between past and present and what they may or may not have inherited from her.

Cinematographer Carmen Pellon Brussosa's visuals create a melancholic naturalism that is both luminously compelling but just drab enough to evoke a wan, chilly London, which Sara is escaping. Ana, of course, is devastated by the news, since her sister is a source of comfort throughout her difficult domestic situation. But she latches onto the flakier reasons Sara says she is leaving, making Sara feel judged and unsupported. As the sisters, actors Jauregui and Paula Rodriguez capture a believable connection as siblings, touching on both their deep familiarity with one another but also their different temperaments and long-simmering resentments.

The sisters are on the verge of parting on bad terms, and Ana is devastated by both Sara's departure and her loneliness. But then she gets a visit, one whose arrival is handled in a matter-of-fact, non-melodramatic way. Played by actor Elena Saenz, this presence is gently funny, wise and loving, giving Ana comfort and insight. She also gives Ana a piece of frank advice, and perhaps a miracle -- one that puts them both on the path to healing and connection.

Led by a looser, sunnier change in visuals and a lovely score by Olivia Duque, the final scenes of A SIMPLE RECIPE unfurl in a burst of pure happiness that's a relief from the cloistered, almost static melancholy of the earlier part of the story. Both sisters have taken a big leap of faith together, escaping their earlier stasis and finding contentment -- thanks in part to the wisdom and love of their maternal ancestors, and trusting in their relationship with one another.