‘In Her Place’ Movie Cast And Character

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In Her Place is a Chilean Netflix original that is a historical crime drama that circles around an author and the murder she committed in full public view. Based on a real-life incident that took place in the year 1955, the film has many characters in the form of witnesses and family members who offer a statement to the judge as the case goes to trial. One of the characters is fascinated by the alleged culprit, and she’s practically a voyeur as the case unfolds bit by bit.

Spoilers Ahead


Mercedes

Elisa Zulueta, the Chilean actress, is Mercedes, the court clerk, who is having a hard time with work and running her home at the same time. She is married and has two sons, and all of them live together inside a tiny apartment, and she is tired of the lack of personal space as the place is also being used by her husband as a studio. Mercedes craves some time alone as she feels her life is only about work and serving her family. As she works with Judge Aliro, who is sitting on the trial of the murder of Roberto Pumarino.

Roberto is killed by his ex-girlfriend María Carolina Geel, aka Georgina Silva, Mercedes is fascinated by the life led by the alleged culprit. The case introduces Mercedes to life led by María and gives her access to the apartment in which the culprit lived. The apartment is the kind of space she had been looking for, a place that gives her a sense of freedom, space, and tranquility that her home and family are unable to provide. Mercedes is carried away as she starts spending all her free time in María’s home and forgets people will notice changes in her. 


María/Georgina

Francisca Lewin is María Carolina Geel in In Her Place, the volatile author who is arrested for murdering her ex-boyfriend Roberto Pumarino in the tearoom of the Hotel Crillon. María is her real name, while Georgina Silva is her nom de plume. The life María lives is described by the people she knew—her ex-husband, sister, and colleagues of Roberto who have seen her with him. Through them, Judge Aliro and Mercedes form an opinion of her. 

María lives alone in a huge apartment, which she may have purchased from the profits of the books she sold. She is proud of her independence, and because of that, she is branded ‘complicated’ by many. María and Roberto had a volatile relationship, which ultimately ended tragically for one of them. As a single woman in the 1950s, many assume the worst for María, and the witch hunt begins as soon as she is arrested from the scene of the crime. There are some who want her in prison, while others feel liberated at the idea of living the life she led before she was arrested for murder. 


Efraín

Pablo Macaya is Efraín, Mercedes’ husband in In Her Place, who runs a photo studio inside their tiny apartment. Efraín is under the impression that his marriage with Mercedes is stable, but she is far from happy. Efraín, like a typical man, is not aware of the fact that Mercedes is not happy in the marriage and, as a result, does not have any serious conversation with her about how she feels. He, along with his sons, spends a lot of time mocking Mercedes, as she is a mere clerk in the court. Efraín also does not notice Mercedes is spending a lot of her free time away from home. As a provider, he feels his responsibility ends when he brings in money and does not care to help Mercedes with running the household. 


Judge Aliro

Marcial Tagle, as Judge Veloso Aliro, is the person who is sitting on the trial of Roberto Pumarino, who is murdered by María Carolina Geel. Judge Aliro, right from the start of the case, is slightly biased. He feels María may have committed the murder after being pushed to the brink. Judge Aliro wants to give people the benefit of the doubt and wants to treat this case based on his understanding after hearing statements from the witnesses and the people related to the victim and the culprit. 

Judge Aliro is of the opinion that María should not be held in the cell in the prison, and as per his orders, she is moved to a convent run by nuns. Judge Aliro could be patriarchal, feeling women are fragile like infants and children, and that they need to be treated as such. The mindset was a result of the era the story is set in. 


René

Néstor Cantillana is René, María’s peer and friend, who runs into Mercedes. René meets Mercedes at María’s apartment, and he is aware she is not related to her. He is the only person who seems to understand María and Mercedes’ life and dilemma. It is assumed René is gay and understands the struggle women and queer people in that era had to go through. He is not livid at Mercedes for breaking into the apartment because he understands her need to get away from her chaotic life. René does not return, but his presence and friendship leave a lasting impression on Mercedes. 


Roberto

Nicolás Saavedra is Roberto Pumarino, the victim who died at the hands of María Carolina Geel. His story is mostly told through the witnesses and the people related to him who were asked to give statements as a part of the trial. Roberto and María had been in a relationship for a long time, and it is understood he loved her, but he expected María to become a typical wife who would marry him and run the household while he brought in the money. He kept forgetting that María had been independent for a long time, and him trying to make her change led to several spats between them as per various statements. Since this is set in the year 1955, he is a typical man who wants to fall in love only to have a wife who would cook for him, run the household, and bear his children. María was the opposite of that, but that did not stop Roberto from proposing to her more than once. 

Roberto and María had broken up, and her ego probably could not digest the fact that he would accept another woman but could not love her for who she is. This is what is assumed from the movie of what may have led to the breakup and eventually a violent end to his life. 


Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan is a cinema enthusiast, and a part time film blogger. An ex public relations executive, films has been a major part of her life since the day she watched The Godfather – Part 1. If you ask her, cinema is reality. Cinema is an escape route. Cinema is time traveling. Cinema is entertainment. Smriti enjoys reading about cinema, she loves to know about cinema and finding out trivia of films and television shows, and from time to time indulges in fan theories.


 

 

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