'Mariana Ant' Review: Luck, Loss, and Lingering Delusion
- Elliot Lines
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
By Elliot Lines - February 6, 2026
Mariana Ant unfolds like a fable whispered through dappled sunlight — simple in structure but heavy with ambiguity. The film follows a young girl, Mariana, who becomes obsessed with an anthill and the tiny lives within it, declaring herself an ant with earnest conviction. What begins as a whimsical, almost folkloric take on childhood imagination gradually drifts into something more uneasy, touching on themes of belief, desire, and the very real cost of dreams deferred.
Mariana, protective of her anthill, watches over it while her mother naps in a worn chair. Church bells interrupt the stillness, jolting them into motion. They take to the village streets, begging for coins as a street preacher orates to a stream of indifferent passers-by. Mariana, in her earnestness, is asked to sing — a plea that goes largely ignored until a wealthy, elegant woman stops, enchanted by her voice. With no money to offer, the woman gifts a lottery ticket that — in a twist of cinematic luck — becomes a winner. The narrative leaps forward years, finding the mother now living comfortably but slothfully, while Mariana remains, heartbreakingly, convinced she is an ant. Eventually, the mother hires a doctor to address her daughter’s “condition,” and the tone tilts from whimsical to quietly tragic.
There’s a certain charm in Mariana Ant’s simplicity. The film’s visual language — intimate, unhurried, rooted in everyday life — allows the viewer to feel the child’s reverence for tiny creatures and the mother’s mixture of affection and fatigue. Performances are sincere, and the film’s fable‑like quality invites reflection: on how belief can sustain and isolate, on the seductive pull of luck, and on the gaps between intention and consequence.
Yet, for all its evocative moments, the film doesn’t quite cohere into something emotionally resonant. The leap from street performance to lottery windfall feels too neat, and the years‑later transformation of the mother’s life — and Mariana’s stillness — is intriguing but underexplored. What could have been a sharp parable about desire, agency, and disillusionment instead skims the surface, leaving more questions than insights. Mariana Ant is thoughtful and often visually absorbing, but its emotional gravity never quite pulls you all the way in.
'Mariana Ant' was selected to the 2025 Cerdanya Film Festival.
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