Five women across three generations are struggling to keep their decaying family hotel afloat. When Piedade’s daughter Salomé arrives on the scene, old resentments begin to bubble to the surface. The film’s wounded characters collide with one another in frank confrontation as layers of generational trauma are laid bare. The deteriorating architecture of the hotel looms over the action, reflecting the characters’ inner turmoil and embodying the fraying ties of a family on the verge of being torn apart.
A masterwork of overlapping perspectives, Bad Living is the reverse shot of Living Bad (also included in this year’s program). Taken together, the two form a rich narrative labyrinth as the events of the story are observed from different angles and interpreted through the lens of different characters. The result is a cinematic experience of unprecedented depth.