Elena Knows Plot Summary
The story centers on Elena, a woman suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and needing full-time care just to get by. That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of Elena’s daughter, Rita. Rita has her own issues going on though, as we learn across the bulk of this 90 minute film.
For the majority of this picture, we follow Elena as she spearheads a relentless investigation to find out exactly what happened to her daughter, Rita. With no autopsy done, the paperwork rushed and the police ready to quickly close the case, Elena senses something afoul and sets out to learn the truth.
As the film progresses, Elena’s journey run in tandem with flashes to the past. These are beautifully constructed, with an older Elena in the same frame and watching different scenes play out with Rita. These range from her childhood to moments from just a few days prior to her death. We quickly learn that Rita is far from the model daughter, while she also has ties with her best friend Isabel, as well as her boyfriend Father Juan.
While the film doesn’t play out as a whodunit, it does have a few suspects on the periphery of the story; people who flit in and out and give their perspective (and statement) over exactly what’s happened to Rita.
What does Elena learn from Benegas?
Elena’s condition continues to deteriorate as the film progresses, and she shuffles from place to place trying to get justice for her daughter. The police have written this case off, but through one of the officers in the station, Elena learns that Benegas was her daughter’s doctor. So Elena heads off to visit him.
Whilst there, Benegas admits that he prescribed Rita antidepressants. Rita was struggling badly with the weight of having to look after her mother and knowing what a huge commitment this was. Rita is in floods of tears and struggling, looking close to breaking point while talking to the doctor.
What does Juan testify to Elena?
With this knowledge, Elena shows up to see Juan and find out what happened that day with Rita. It turns out she was dead when he got there, having hung herself from the rafters in the church. Juan prayed for her but didn’t touch the body. Elena is not convinced.
“Rita didn’t go to church on rainy days,” Elena says to him. Apparently, Rita was scared of being hit by lightning so it doesn’t make sense for her to be there.
Juan was the one who called the police in but told them to arrive after the 7pm Mass. Rita actually stopped coming to Mass before she commit suicide but that doesn’t stop Elena from blaming Juan. She believes he fed her an eternal paradise dream (Heaven). Juan however, hits back, telling Elena that suicide is not a path Christians should take and argues his case back.
Does Elena gain any closure?
Elena heads over to see Isabel next to find out more about Rita. Given Rita saved Isabel in the past, Elena believes she’s entitled to a debt. Isabel has had her own issues though, stemming from a difficult childhood with her parents (which we learn across the movie). Isabel has an estranged relationship with her daughter, and in fact she was raised by Isabel’s parents. This caused a rift between her and Rita, and that’s why they lost touch.
This also coincides with when Rita’s mental health started to deteriorate. Rita had been a very responsible daughter, especially after Elena developed Parkinson’s “Plus”, and she did everything she could for her mum.
Rita fought to get equality for Elena too, including a particularly telling flashback midway through where she fought to get the right pill prescriptions for Elena. However, this caused a massive toll on Rita’s health. It all went unnoticed by Elena, which we see during the film’s opening, as Rita takes herself aside to cry in private.
Elena gets some crucial closure, helped in part from stroking Isabel’s cat. It’s well-known that stroking a cat reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone in humans. Elena almost holds hands with Isabel too, but having learned all she can from Isabel, Elena heads back home.
What happened to Rita?
The ending sees Elena step out the taxi and drop her umbrella on the ground, heading back into her apartment. This is symbolic because – as we find out across the film – Elena now realizes that Rita wasn’t killed after all. She really did commit suicide.
Rita was weighted down by the thoughts of looking after her mother and seeing her deteriorate further. Rita couldn’t bear the thought of this and – already plagued with mental health issues – decided to kill herself.
In the end, it’s a poignant reminder of how awful mental health can be, especially when it’s not treated. For Elena, she finally gets the closure she needs but the ending is also somewhat open, as it leaves massive question marks over exactly how Elena is going to proceed without her daughter. Of course, we do see that Elena burned Rita’s belongings in a symbol of acceptance for what’s to come, but it’s similarly also quite a bittersweet ending here too.
Read More: Elena Knows Movie Review
Terrible movie!