Shrew’s Nest (2014)

AKA: Musaranas
Directed by: Juanfer Andrés, Esteban Roel
Starring: Macarena Gomez (Montse), Nadia de Santiago (The Girl), Luis Tosar (Father), Hugo Silva (Carlos), Carolina Bang (Elisa), Lucía de la Fuente (Young Montse)
Country: Spain; Effed Up European Movies
Language: Spanish; Effed Up Spanish Cinema
Runtime: 01:31:20
Genres: Gruesome, Incest, Childhood, Domestic Abuse, Siblings-Family, Drugs, Captivity, Mental Illness

Plot – Spoilers:
In post-War Spain, an 18-year-old nameless (to us) girl shares an uneasy relationship with the much-older Montse, who’s brought her up more as a daughter than sister, following the loss of their father. The unease in the relationship mostly stems from Montse’s overprotectiveness that includes physical abuse and which feels like stifling control to the girl. Apart from this, the two share comfortable roles within the household. The girl works at a nearby shop to supplement Montse’s tailoring skills that have earned her a loyal and admiring clientele, and Montse on her part makes sure she has hot meals ready for the girl’s lunchbreaks.

Shrews are claimed to to be wildly territorial, and Montse similarly fiercely defends their lives from being intruded into, though this is of late getting harder, with the girl growing up. Montse’s territorial behavior is more in reverse though. Not only is she terrified of the girl one day leaving her, but she also suffers from crippling agoraphobia foisted on her by an abusive father. So for now, Montse prowls the four walls of her apartment, addicted to morphine and staving off tormenting visions of her contemptuous father that plunge her into states of despair or melancholy.

Then one sudden day, a man falls down the stairs and rolls up at her door. It’s that one in a million chance that Montse ever had of having a man in her life. And she’s eager to not let it go.