It Would Be Night in Caracas

It Would Be Night in Caracas
Festival release poster
Directed byMariana Rondón
Marité Ugás
Written byMariana Rondón
Marité Ugás
Based onLa hija de la española by Karina Sainz Borgo
Produced byStacy Perskie
Édgar Ramírez
Stephanie Correa
Jill Littman
StarringNatalia Reyes
Moisés Angola
Sheila Monterola
CinematographyJuan Pablo Ramírez
Edited bySoledad Salfate
Music byCamilo Froideval
Production
companies
Redrum
Absolute Artists
Impression Entertainment
Release date
  • 4 September 2025 (2025-09-04) (Venice)
Running time
97 minutes
CountriesMexico
Venezuela
LanguageSpanish

It Would Be Night in Caracas (Spanish: Aún es de noche en Caracas) is a 2025 drama film directed by Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás. It is based on Karina Sainz Borgo's novel La hija de la española and follows a woman trying to survive the political and social collapse during the Crisis in Venezuela.[1][2]

Plot

Set in Caracas during the heightened tensions of 2017, the film follows Adelaida (Natalia Reyes), who returns home after her mother's funeral to find their apartment seized by a violent female militia led by the ruthless Mariscala (Sheila Monterola). As protests, repression and shortages intensify, Adelaida is forced onto the streets of a collapsing city where institutions have broken down and violence is commonplace.[2]

When she discovers that a neighbour with Spanish residency has died, Adelaida sees a opportunity to assume her identity and escape the country. The film tracks a few days in her life as she navigates militia checkpoints, corrupt officials and an increasingly lawless environment, weighing the moral cost of survival against the possibility of exile.[1]

Cast

Production

The film is written and directed by Venezuelan filmmakers Mariana Rondón and Marité Ugás, known for their previous collaborations such as Bad Hair. It was produced by Stacy Perskie for Redrum, Édgar Ramírez for Absolute Artists, and Stephanie Correa and Jill Littman for Impression Entertainment. Principal photography took place in Mexico, with production design by Ezra Buenrostro and cinematography by Juan Pablo Ramírez, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of a Caracas in crisis. The score was composed by Camilo Froideval, with sound design by Lena Esquenazi.[1]

Release

It Would Be Night in Caracas had its world premiere in the Venezia Spotlight section of the Venice Film Festival on 4 September 2025.[1]

Reception

At its festival premieres, the film received positive notices for its tense atmosphere and political urgency. In a review for Variety, Jessica Kiang praised the film as a “powerful, urgent human drama” and highlighted Natalia Reyes's performance as central to the film's emotional impact.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Aún es de noche en Caracas (It Would Be Night in Caracas)". La Biennale di Venezia. 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "It Would Be Night in Caracas". Toronto International Film Festival. 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  3. ^ Kiang, Jessica (31 October 2025). "'It Would Be Night in Caracas' Review: A Gripping Thriller Sees Venezuela's Violent Recent Past Echo Into Our Violent Present". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 November 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2026.