Mamifera is both a lovely, well-observed character study and a thoroughly relatable portrait of a quarter-life crisis in slow-motion. The film focuses on Lola—a fabulous Maria Rodriguez Soto—a woman who has always been certain that being a mother is not for her. Of course, this being a movie, you can guess what happens next: Just when her comfortable domestic life with her partner, Bruno, and her work as an art teacher specializing in decoupage, feels complete, life throws a curve ball and she finds out she’s expecting. Her choice is clear to her but she has to pause due to Spain’s mandatory abortion waiting period. What follows is a parallel three-day existential journey for Lola and Bruno filled with amusing familial interactions, friends enduring their own personal crises, a bunch of vivid dreams where Lola’s cutouts and anxieties come to life, and hard truths leading to life-changing decisions. Director-writer Liliana Torres clearly harbors a lot of affection for these characters and their chosen family, all of which pours out in a profound, moving final gesture. ~OO

Also screens Thursday, October 24 | 7:15 PM