La Mansión de Araucaima


La Mansión de Araucaima is a 1986 Colombian drama film written and directed by Carlos Mayolo. Its genre has been described as "Tropical Gothic." It is based in the tale of the same name by Alvaro Mutis.

Plot

Angela, a young model, is working on a TV commercial that is filmed in the countryside. Her boyfriend is part of the crew behind the camera. Not far from where they are shooting the commercial, there is a house named Araucaima, inhabited by six eccentric characters: Paul, a guardian, who patrols the property with his German Sheppard; Camilo, an impotent alcoholic pilot; a monk, with a passion for books; a black servant named Cristobal who does the daily chores; the Machiche, a mature voluptuous woman who keeps the men in the house under her control; and Graciliano "Don Graci", the pampered and corrupt owner of the house.
The inhabitants of Araucaima, having arrived there by serendipity, live in apparent harmony. Camilo and the monk run the accounting of the property; Cristobal sells the production of the farm in the nearby town and buys provisions; the guardian watches the property; Don Graciliano takes long baths outdoors and Machiche has sex with Cristobal and the guardian, who hate each other.
On the second day of filming the commercial, Angela has a tantrum and runs away on her bicycle. She arrives at the mansion of Araucaima and asks permission to use the bathroom. The guardian lets her in. Angela is befriended by Camilo who talks to Don Graciano. He invites Angela for dinner as the chain of her bicycle is broken and is already late. Angela stays not only for the night. There is not tracking of time and comfortable around the house, Angela soon becomes one more of its members.
Angela soon realizes that her interest in Camilo is pointless, since the pilot is impotent. The monk is not, and inviting Angela to his room, they soon begin to have sex. On a rainy day while bathing on a river, Angela is joined by Cristobal and they have sex. Machiche is jealous, as Cristobal was her favorite lover and confronts him, but he tells her that she has been doing the same as Machiche is also the guardian’s lover. Don Graci realizes that Angela has broken the harmony they all previously enjoyed and wants Angela to leave the house. The monk agrees, but Machiches persuades them to let Angela stay. She has her own plan for Angela. From then on, Machiche befriends Angela, they share more time together and join Don Graci on his long baths outdoors. Machiche performs for Angela a theatrical scene and the two women begin a lesbian affair. Soon, however, Machiche gets tired of Angela. Machiche really likes only men and tells Angela that Cristobal slept with her by orders of Don Graci. Angela breaks into tears and runs looking for solace with Camilo and the monk, but they ignore her. Going to the warehouse, Angela sees her bike. The next morning, the guardian finds Angela's body in the warehouse. She has committed suicide by hanging herself.
Angela's death infuriates Camilo, the pilot, who knows that Machiche is directly responsible for Angelas's suicide. Camilo takes the monk's revolver and kills Machiche. Despairing, Cristobal jumps behind Camilo and strangles him with a shovel. Now there are three dead bodies. Angry, Don Graci gives orders to bury Camilo and Machiche and cremate Angela's body in the oven. The next day the survivors of the house abandon it. Don Graci gives Cristobal his freedom. The four men leave the property. Sometime later, Angela's boyfriend arrives to the abandoned house calling out her name. He reads the four rules at the entrance of the mansion of Araucaima: If you enter this house, do not leave. If you leave this house, do not go back. If you pass by this house, do not look. If you dwell in this house, do not plant prayers.

Cast

La Mansión de Araucaima is available in Region 4 DVD, it can also play in region 1. Audio in Spanish, but no English subtitles. Only have Spanish subtitles in Señal Colombia broadcast.