The Ivy (film)


The Ivy is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Ana Cristina Barragán.
A co-production between Ecuador, Mexico, France and Spain, the film had its world premiere at the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2025, where Barragán won the section's Best Screenplay award.

Plot

Set in a remote coastal community, the film follows Azucena, a withdrawn young woman who lives in near isolation with her family. When Julio, a boy from the same village, begins to spend time with her, their fragile bond exposes long-suppressed childhood wounds. Through quiet observation and tactile imagery, the story explores themes of intimacy, emotional repression, and the difficulty of breaking inherited cycles of pain.

Cast

  • as Azucena
  • Francis Eddú Llumiquinga as Julio

Production

Barragán and producer Karla Souza first worked on the project during a workshop at the ArteCareyes Film Festival. The project was first marketed at the 2021 International Film Festival Rotterdam CineMart. The film was produced by Botón Films, BHD Films, Ciné-Sud Promotion and Guspira Films. The cast mostly consists of non-professional actors.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti sidebar, in which it won the Best Screenplay Award. It was later screened at the 73rd [San Sebastián International Film Festival].

Reception

Cineuropa's film critic Veronica Orciari wrote that "what we get is a very intense story, portrayed by an incredibly well-directed cast, and a strong sense of compositional balance. However, the film never feels fully complete and this sensation may be unsettling for certain audiences". Marc van de Klashorst from International Cinephile Society noted that "what stands out is how tactile Hiedra is, and how well it works as a visceral experience, at least insofar as a social realist drama allows" but complained that "too much time is wasted in the first hour".