The action takes place over 3 consecutive specific Decembers, in a seaside house in a gated community. In 2015, the master of the house is making shady deals, his wife is busy shopping for clothes and art, his widowed father is a grumpy old man, while his 20-year-old son has returned home for a party.

But the focus is really on the housekeeper, who acts as butler, and rides herd over a small group of other servants. She is enterprising, selling her kitchen creations over the internet, and is planning on building a roadside kiosk to hawk her wares.

But in 2016, the master is arrested in mass corruption arrests (along with many of his neighbors),and his assets are frozen. The mistress escapes abroad to be with her son, leaving the servants to take care of the ailing father with no money or owed wages. By 2017, the resourceful housekeeper has managed to monetize whatever assets she has control over, to keep the household afloat.

This is an interesting view of Brazilian society, as to what could happen to the "downstairs" people affected by their superiors' corruption scandals. I saw this at the TIFF world premiere, where the director mentioned that the movie was actually shot in the Brazilian summer. That was ironic, since my one quibble is the storyline about shooting a Christmas commercial in December seems to be a bit late.

A relaxing comedy.

The movie sets its background by illustrating the reality between the poor and rich and how each class behaves in managing their lives.

A special and deserved spotligh (as usual) for Regina Casé. It's really amazing how she dominates every scene and how you anxiously to see what will her character do next.