A selection at the Florida Film Festival, Your Iron Lady tells the story of Teresa (Victoria del Rosal), a single mother navigating her recent move to the United States while raising her children the best way she can.
Writer/Director Jorge Xolalpa Jr. based this film off of an autobiographical short story written by his mother, Teresa Ramirez Galan. The film sets its tone perfectly right at the beginning, opening up with a static wide shot (Xolalpa's decision to film in Academy Ratio also helps establish a more intimate experience). A peaceful interaction involving numerous members of the family suddenly erupts into a vicious dispute.
The action within that scene unfolds naturally, which makes the conflict feel real. This is a credit to the performers who made this work, and also Jorge Xolalpa Jr., who keeps this realism going for the entire film, in a style reminiscent of Robert Altman.
Victoria del Rosal shines as Teresa. She can deliver her lines with real emotion and immediacy, but can also speak a thousand words with a single look.
The narrative of the film centers around a specific portion of Teresa's life, as we see her in a turbulent living situation with her sister, dealing with her estranged husband, and ultimately being forced to find her own way and establish a better life for herself and her children.
Some of Teresa's most emotional scenes are when she interacts with her children. Keeping her daughter Jazmin (played wonderfully by Alondra Lara) while she has her own internal struggle between her own rebellious adolescence and not wanting to disappoint her mother. There's a harsh honesty between the two of them, but at no point is Teresa's love for her daughter in doubt. The scene she has with her son as she walks him to school, after finding out other kids were calling him homophobic slurs is touching. On the surface, we see her reassuring her son after he was bullied, but there's an even more powerful subtext - that she'll love him, no matter what.
Your Iron Lady is an example of a simple slice-of-life story told effectively well, from deliberate and strategic camera work, an intimate aspect ratio, to a strong cast who were able to deliver real, natural performances. The talent on display in this film is phenomenal. It's currently circulating on the Festival circuit, and given changes made this year due to COVID-19, it's an easy film to seek out and watch from home.
