‘In Her Place’ Movie Recap And Ending Explained: Did Mercedes Have To Let Go Of The Apartment?

In Her Place or El lugar de la otra is the Chilean Netflix Original, which is a historical crime drama based on the life of a real-life author. This film is a period drama set in the year 1955 that expands on the crime committed by the said author and the court trial around it. Directed by Maite Alberdi, In Her Place explored the lives of women at a time when they were questioned for living on their own terms. 

Spoilers Ahead

Was Mercedes in an unhappy marriage?

In Her Place begins with Mercedes, a married woman with two sons struggling to be a homemaker. Her husband runs a photo studio from their tiny home but never helps her with any domestic chores. Since the film is set in the mid-1950s, as a wife, Mercedes was expected to run the show at home after having a long day at work. The lack of space at home bothered her, but she could not be vocal about it. 

How did Mercedes get involved in the murder investigation case?

Mercedes worked as a clerk in the local court, and she was close to Judge Veloso Aliro. Mercedes was asked to join his team at the Hotel Crillon, where a murder had taken place. On her way into the hotel, she made eye contact with the culprit, a woman named Georgina Silva Jimenez. The tearoom of the hotel was the scene of the crime, and along with Judge Aliro, they were trying to determine how the victim, Roberto Pumarina Valenzuela, was shot. They found the gun and a purse that belonged to Georgina on the table. 

Mercedes was fascinated to find out why the woman killed her ex-boyfriend and wanted to know her life story up until then. The media trial had already begun, which bothered Judge Aliro as he felt Georgina was a woman who was pushed to the brink before committing a murder, and he did not want to treat her like a criminal yet. This comes across as biased on the judge’s behalf, as he had made up his mind about the culprit before the case went to trial. The judge was, however, willing to hear out the witnesses and the family of both the victim and the culprit so that he could form an apt judgment. 

Why was Mercedes in Georgina’s home?

As the case went to trial, there seemed to be some tension simmering between Mercedes and Georgina while in court, where she was brought in for questioning in the clothes she wore when she killed her ex-boyfriend. Georgina revealed her real name was Maria Carolina Geel, while the name used in court and in the police record was the name she used for her books. Georgina/Maria was an author by profession, and this further intrigued Mercedes, as she wanted to dig deep into her life but could not do so, as Maria was a suspect yet to be sentenced.

Maria’s lawyer argued that she was mentally incapacitated and could not be allowed to live in prison until she was proven guilty by the court. The judge agreed, and as a result, she was moved to a convent managed by nuns. Since Maria had no new clothes on her, Mercedes was asked to collect her clothes from the culprit’s apartment. On reaching Maria’s home, Mercedes was pleasantly surprised by the space available in the house and the fact a woman lived alone in it. 

Where was the investigation heading?

As the trial began, many witnesses were called in to offer statements to the judge about what they were privy to as they saw the crime being committed. The eyewitness claimed Maria was not acting out of the ordinary until she took out her gun and shot five times at Roberto. She kissed him when he died, which caused the blood stains on her face and her clothes. The family members of both had another story to share. Roberto’s brother claimed Maria was moody and had rejected his brother’s wedding proposal many times. She killed him when she realized she could no longer play that game with him after learning he was engaged to another woman. Maria’s sister said she was a recluse from childhood who had not shared much of her pain throughout her life. 

Roberto’s colleagues and friends described him as being a good man while painting her as a manipulative woman who had no concerns for the love and attention he showered on her. One of Roberto’s assistants claimed to have a letter Maria had written to Roberto. The letter stated that Maria could never be the perfect wife he was seeking in her, as she enjoyed her independent life as an author. 

Why did Mercedes visit Georgina at the convent?

The police filed a complaint to Judge Aliro about Maria, claiming she was making demands about her living conditions. Judge Aliro assigned Mercedes to take pictures of her room to submit the same into the case file. On reaching the convent, Mercedes took pictures of the surroundings and ran into women who spoke to her about the reasons why they were in confinement.

Mercedes spoke to Maria in her room as she took several pictures. Maria mentioned she enjoyed the silence in the convent. Mercedes felt bad for Maria, as she felt the woman was being misunderstood for the kind of life she led. It was also implied that Maria could be suffering from some mental health issues, and since the film was set in a time when there was no awareness or discourse about the said subject, that was not brought into the limelight during the trial. Maria was simply branded as a complicated evil woman. 

Who did Mercedes meet in Georgina’s apartment?

Mercedes was fascinated by the stories of Maria that were coming out during the course of the trial. Unlike others, Mercedes created a positive image of Maria in her mind. Mercedes had imagined a life for herself, and she tried to emulate that by frequently visiting Maria’s home, where she could spend most of her free time between her work and home. 

Mercedes was in possession of an old camera, which she’d inherited from her father, and she used it to click pictures of herself in Maria’s clothes. Mercedes began to show up in Maria’s upscale clothes, which her colleague and Judge Aliro noticed. Mercedes was enjoying her time at Maria’s apartment when she ran into René, one of Maria’s friends. He was one of her peers’ who quickly deduced Mercedes was not Maria’s cousin, as she stated. He stated everyone wanted to live a certain life, and Mercedes was doing that by taking advantage of the empty apartment. Mercedes let René know about her identity, and he was not angry at her for breaching the place for her own benefit. 

Did Mercedes’ husband come to know about the apartment?

After a small gathering at Mercedes’ tiny apartment, she felt overwhelmed by the work to be done after they left. She reached Maria’s apartment in the middle of the night only to find her husband Efrain had followed her. Efrain was shocked to find out his wife had been leading a life away from her family, and he could not figure out the reason behind it. Mercedes revealed she wanted some time away from the noise in her life. Living in Maria’s apartment gave her some tranquility. Since the movie was set during an era when the concept of men or women being emotionally and financially independent did not exist, leading a life that was different from what society expected was not considered normal. Efrain took a while to get a grip on what Mercedes wanted, but he broke down, which was a sign of him understanding what was lacking in her life and he could not give that to her. 

Was Maria guilty?

As the trial came to an end, Judge Aliro declared Maria was guilty of the premeditated murder for which she would have to spend 541 days in jail. It was a small sentence compared to the type of crime that was committed, keeping in mind there were witnesses as well. It could also be indicative of the fact that since she was a woman, as a result, she should be treated differently, unlike men, who would not be let off with light sentences. The whole idea that women cannot endure suffering outside of their home is patriarchal, and it reduces women to domesticity. Judge Aliro’s sentence was highly patriarchal, which was why it was reduced to the bare minimum. The media trial that blamed Maria based on the crime she committed throws light on the fact that independent women like her were branded as complicated when they would not submit to the usual norms laid out for how women were supposed to be. 

Why did Mercedes have to let go of the apartment?

Mercedes was happy with the sentence, as she would be able to use the apartment for as long as she could. Mercedes showed signs of being addicted to the life she was leading in Maria’s home. All her adult life so far was spent taking care of her home, husband, and sons, who showed no signs of gratitude. She was mocked for being a clerk and for the fact she could never rise to the position of judge. In Maria’s apartment, she could be a woman who had money, books, cigarettes, and space to do anything. To her shock, the President of Chile revoked Maria’s sentence based on the letter written to him by another famous author named Gabriela Mistral. Mercedes did not see this coming. She soon realized Maria was a big deal in the field of literature, and the author community came together to get her acquitted. 

Mercedes was upset and began to take pictures of the house. The pictures would remind her of the fantasy she had built for herself while she lived here. Mercedes’ tale was evocative of many women who were stuck in loveless marriages, and all they wanted was a way out of it. There was a lot of chaos around them, and most of their lives were spent living in it. A house of her own with things of her choice was what Mercedes craved, and she found that in Maria’s home. To give up on that was heartbreaking, and she would have to go back to her reality. 

In Her Place ended with Mercedes waiting by the coffee shop near Maria’s home. As Maria arrived, both women shared eye contact, which could be reminiscent of their first meeting outside the Hotel Crillon. Maria could sense Mercedes was happy for her, and she walked away. Mercedes was indeed happy for Maria, and she could only hope to have a life on her terms without worrying about societal norms in the future. The end credits had pictures of the real-life crime, the culprit Maria, along with newspaper headlines, and the letter written by Gabriela Mistral to the president. This was added to make the audience believe that a crime occurred, but building a fictional story around it that talks about women craving a life outside of the societal norms was also crucial.