Alejandra Márquez Abella’s  made her feature debut with 2015’s “Semana Santa.” Her other credits include shorts “5 Memories” and “Perra,” as well as the documentary feature “Mal de tierra.” 

“The Good Girls” will begin screening at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

AMA: It portrays a wealthy woman’s social decay. It’s also a film about female anxiety, and about how even “powerful” women are powerless in our system.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

AMA: Rodrigo S. Gonzalez and Rafael Ley invited me to this project. It all started as a work for hire. I was afraid at the beginning because we’ve had a tradition in Mexico of approaching these issues — and the rich, dumb oligarchy — in very superfluous mainstream ways that end up redeeming the privileged instead of raising questions.

I decided to jump in because I thought this was a huge opportunity to explore what the rich and powerful lose when they lose their money. By questioning this I wanted to find some answers in our very unequal society. I’m very thankful to Rodrigo and Rafael for thinking of me.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

AMA: I would like to contribute, as Guadalupe Loaeza, author of “Las Niñas Bien” chronicles, did at the time: to demythologize the wealthy and their way of life. I would like women to stop aiming for a life that oppresses others and tears away their power and independence.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

AMA: The biggest challenge was to give Sofía’s character dimensions. Being able to judge her for being heinous, yet being her companion while understanding her vulnerability and helplessness. This was an issue I had to deal with since from beginning of the project with the script, through the work with in the editing room, and even with sound and music.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

AMA: I always liked to take pictures. I took a photography class when I was 10 and it changed my life. Also, my father is a writer, and he always encouraged me to write. I think filmmaking is writing with different instruments.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

AMA: The best was given by my Michel Gaztambide, my screenwriting professor in film school. It had to do with choosing an image that you can hold on to emotionally, that captures the essence and the feeling of your film, so that you can go back to it when you’re lost or tired in the middle of the process.

The worst [was probably] something around being tough as a woman in a man’s world. I have the feeling I’ve been given that advice a lot of times.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

AMA: To find strength in the assets that we culturally as women have, and that are commonly considered weakness by the system. To concentrate on our own desires and trust our intuition and way of looking at things.

Don’t be afraid of kindness and softness: it’s a gift.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

AMA: “The Holy Girl”  by Lucrecia Martel. I love the story, the way the atmosphere contributes to the narrative,  and the handling of Lucrecia’s own point of view. 

W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

AMA: In Mexico these movements haven’t really reshaped anything– yet. I mean, there has been a couple of moments where it seemed that we were going to come out, raise our voices, and talk about the abuses, but sadly it did not succeed. Of course the impact of those movements has started the conversation globally, so it sort of has made things different at least in a discursive way.

The community of female filmmakers in Mexico is not vast, but it’s growing. I think we all share that we’ve had the privilege of working on our films — as directors — in a very independent and favorable environment.

 [However,] I always have the feeling that we are not seated at the main table yet. I’ve started to think that maybe we should work on making our table good enough for us, making it our own main table, instead of longing to be seated anywhere else.