The Pains of Labour

Horror and drama fiction feature film

Directed and written by Jessica Gonzatto

Synopsis: Late 19th century. In Samoeiras, an small village covered in fog, Valentina has a silent routine as a funeral photographer. She lives with her husband Oscar, a gentle hunter and taxidermist, in a decaying colonial mansion. One day, Valentina begins to feel strange pains in her uninhabited womb: she no longer has a uterus. When a mysterious Boy appears from a misty lake demanding her care, Valentina fears that he is her son Elio, who disappeared years ago, seeking revenge. The Boy insists on being part of the family and Oscar, overcome by the melancholy of Elio’s loss, accepts. Amid forced motherhood and growing tension between the couple, dark secrets threaten to resurface.

In development.