Antonieta

Anna, a modern-day Parisian psychologist, investigates female suicide cases from the 20th century and becomes fascinated by Antonieta Rivas Mercado's story. She outlines her goal to uncover patterns and motives by tracing Antonieta's life and correspondence. This sets up the unfolding investigation that threads present and past.

Anna travels to Mexico to interview people who knew Antonieta and to gather firsthand clues about her life. She begins with Juana and other informants who frame Antonieta within the era's social and political upheavals. The journey marks the shift from theory to memory in the investigation.

Juana, a Mexican librarian, frames Antonieta's life within the stormy political landscape of the 1910s–1920s. She explains how the turmoil shaped Antonieta's choices and passions. Her perspective anchors the biographical exploration.

Antonieta is the daughter of a famous architect, and as a child she posed for the golden angel atop the Column of Independence in Mexico City. This early public exposure foreshadows her later involvement with influential cultural figures. The image of ascent and visibility recurs throughout her life.

Vargas, a poet, recounts for Ana how he first met Antonieta and how they became friends. The narration moves between present and past, reflecting the film's structure of memory and storytelling. These recollections link her intimate life with broader historical currents.

As a young woman, Antonieta marries but soon leaves her husband and falls madly in love with painter Manuel Rodríguez Lozano. Manuel is married and homosexual, so the love remains unrequited, developing into a long, intense, but platonic bond. Antonieta channels this passion into her writing and advocacy.

During the years of unrequited love, Antonieta writes Manuel many letters that reveal her intellect, longing, and creative energy. These letters are later published in a book, ensuring her voice endures beyond their relationship. The correspondence underscores her inner life and literary talent.

Leon, a Mexican historian, provides further illustration of Antonieta's life, emphasizing her enduring devotion to the painter. He situates her within the cultural and political currents of the era and enriches the biographical portrait.

Antonieta meets José Vasconcelos, a Mexican intellectual running for President on a platform of mass education, and becomes his lover and closest adviser. Her influence helps shape his political vision and strategies.

After Vasconcelos is politically defeated, Antonieta accompanies him into exile in Paris, and the couple's political idealism fades into disillusionment. They navigate a world of exile, writing, and shifting loyalties.

In Paris, she asks Vasconcelos whether he still needs her, and his reply—'no one needs anyone, only God'—marks a turning point in their relationship and in her sense of purpose. The moment crystallizes a shift from mutual reliance to personal sovereignty or solitude.

In Notre Dame's pews, Antonieta levels a pistol to her heart and dies, the film's culmination that resonates as a dramatic and tragic testament to her life and the era she inhabited. The act is both a personal catastrophe and a symbol within Anna's investigation.