Mailin

Mailin tells her daughter a bedtime story. It’s a fairytale that soon turns dark, about a girl born from true love and a beast that devoured her childhood. To allow her daughter the childhood she never had, Mailin needs to confront her own pain and fear.

Mailin collaborated with filmmaker María Silvia Esteve on this film for eight years, during which she seeks justice after being sexually abused as a child in Argentina. The perpetrator, a priest and family friend, was responsible for many more victims. A wealth of archival footage, home movies, and audio recordings from court hearings accompany Mailin’s story and the accounts of family members and friends. A picture emerges of the enduring impact of the abuse, which is powerfully evoked in ghostly visuals accompanying the fantasy story that runs throughout the film.

Understanding—or even just remembering—what happened to her as a young child has been a long journey for Mailin. Her courageous efforts to overcome the past stand in sharp contrast with the church’s stifling attempts to hush up the scandal. Mailin’s strong, honest and fragile account conveys the vital importance of acknowledgement and retribution.