Acclaimed filmmaker José María Cabral is heading to the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival with his first dark comedy, “Sh*t Happens.” Madrid-based Latido Film Sales has picked up international sales rights for the feature ahead of its world premiere in competition.
Produced by Rafael Elías Muños and Sárah Pérez Báez for Lantica Studios, the social satire explores themes of class, dependency, and power dynamics within a household. Cabral, a three-time Oscar hopeful for the Dominican Republic and the first Dominican filmmaker selected at Sundance in 2017 with “Woodpeckers,” co-wrote the script with Miguel Yarull and Nathalie Peralta.
Plot and thematic focus
Previously known under the title “Gut Feelings,” the narrative centers on a biotechnologist named Raúl—played by Spanish actor Fele Martínez—who tries to cure his sickly daughter, Isabella (Leonoro Forero), using a treatment found inside Lidia (Cindy Galán), the family nanny. Alongside Raúl’s wife Véronica (Lizbeth Santos) and the maid Dominga (Isabel Spencer), the characters navigate a shifting upstairs-downstairs dynamic once the domestic workers recognize the value of what they have been providing.
Cabral explained that the premise examines unequal power relationships common in Latin America and beyond. “What happens when the person you employ becomes the person you desperately need?” Cabral told Variety, noting that while the story is rooted in the Caribbean experience, the underlying social dynamics are universal.
Tone and visual style
The director opted for a deadpan approach to the material, establishing a core rule that the actors must take the absurd situation completely seriously. Cabral cited tonal influences from filmmakers such as Ruben Östlund, Bong Joon Ho, and Yorgos Lanthimos, while employing a visual style inspired by Pedro Almodóvar.
Antonio Saura, managing director of Latido Film Sales, praised the project’s original premise and performances. Saura noted that the film delivers a clever analysis of class and racism alongside its entertainment value. The feature competes in the official selection at Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival.