SH*T HAPPENS

• Fele Martínez (TALK TO HER), Cindy Galán (THE PROJECTIONIST), Lizbeth Santos (PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ).

One of the Dominican Republic’s most internationally recognized filmmakers, a three-time Oscar submission for the Dominican Republic and the first Dominican filmmaker selected for Sundance (Woodpeckers, 2017), José María Cabral returns with a bold, provocative black comedy that challenges social conventions through an outrageous and deliberately unsettling premise. A familiar name on the international festival circuit, with awards and recognition in Guadalajara, Miami, Toulouse and Huelva, Cabral has established a distinctive cinematic voice through acclaimed films such as HOTEL COPPELIA, WOODPECKERS (Sundance) and THE PROJECTIONIST.

His latest work, selected for the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, further confirms his ability to combine daring storytelling with sharp social commentary. Blending dark humor, irreverence and uncomfortable truths, the film delivers a biting satire on class divisions, privilege and the complex power dynamics between employers and domestic workers. What begins as an outrageous situation gradually exposes deeper tensions surrounding social inequality, dependence and the abuse of power. Rooted in the tradition of subversive social satire, the film uses comedy to challenge expectations, provoke debate and confront audiences with the contradictions of contemporary society.

Leading the cast is Fele Martínez, winner of the Goya Award for THESIS and internationally recognized for his collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar in BAD EDUCATION and TALK TO HER. More recently, Martínez has reached a new generation of international audiences through the hit Netflix series ALPHA MALES, available in over 190 countries. Combining an internationally established director, a recognizable leading actor and a daring, universally relevant subject, the film offers a distinctive blend of provocative entertainment and incisive social criticism, with strong potential to connect with festival audiences and international buyers seeking original, conversation-starting cinema.

When their nine-year-old daughter falls mysteriously ill, a wealthy Dominican couple turns to an experimental treatment created from their housemaid Liddy’s feces, without her knowledge. Once Liddy and her colleague Dominga discover the truth, they seize the opportunity to turn the household’s power dynamics upside down.