What My Days In The Underworld Actually Is
The full title is "Mis Días con Vera" in its original language, but it's been released internationally as "My Days In The Underworld." It's a 2015 Argentine drama directed by Natalia Garagiola. The film follows Sofía, a young woman dealing with her sister Vera's recent death, and it weaves through grief, family tension, and the complicated relationship between two sisters who didn't always see eye to eye. Leonora Balcarce plays the older sister, and Martina Gusmán plays Vera. It premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival. One thing that trips people up is the nonlinear structure. The story doesn't move in a straight line from beginning to end. Flashbacks are intercut with present-day scenes, and that's intentional. The editing tries to mirror how grief actually works — you don't process it chronologically. It hits you in fragments. When I first sat down to watch it, I missed a few connections because the timeline jumps around. That's not a flaw in the film, it's just a filter you have to pass through. Once you accept the jumps, the emotional beats land harder. Another thing nobody really talks about: the sound design is quieter than most dramas. There's a lot of ambient space. You can tell the director wanted the silence to do some of the heavy lifting. In one scene, Sofía is just sitting in a room for almost two minutes with no dialogue, and it's more unsettling than any dramatic monologue would have been. The pacing deliberately drags in places, and if you're used to faster-paced international cinema, it can feel like nothing is happening. Nothing is supposed to be happening. That's the point.
Where to Watch It
The availability changes depending on your region and rotates between platforms. It's not on Netflix globally. In Latin America, you may find it on streaming services like HBO Max or local platforms. Internationally, it sometimes appears on MUBI or Kanopy through university or library subscriptions. If you're looking for a physical copy, it's been released on DVD in Argentina and some European territories. The most reliable approach is to check JustWatch or a similar aggregator for your current region, since licensing deals shift every few months. Director: Natalia Garagiola Country: Argentina
Language: Spanish Runtime: Approximately 90 minutes Genre: Drama
Get the Full Details
Starring: Leonora Balcarce, Martina Gusmán, Gracia Olayo Based on: The play "Mis Días con Vera" by Natalia Garagiola and Lucía Lijó
What to Expect if You're New to This Kind of Film
If you're coming from mainstream Argentine cinema like the works of Gaspar Noé or Damián Szifron, this is a completely different tone. It's restrained, almost domestic in scope. The conflict isn't external — it's the suffocating weight of unresolved family dynamics. The film doesn't offer catharsis. It ends without tying everything up neatly, and some viewers find that frustrating. I get why. But the lack of resolution is arguably the most honest part of the whole thing. Grief doesn't wrap itself up in ninety minutes. One practical note about watching it: the Spanish dialogue can be dense in the argument scenes. The characters talk over each other, and the mix of formal and colloquial speech isn't always transparent. Subtitles help, but they can't fully capture the rhythm of the delivery. If you can watch it in Spanish with subtitles rather than dubbed, you'll pick up more of what's going on under the surface. The film also received mixed reviews at festivals. Some critics called it pretentious. Others found it moving. I lean toward the latter, but I'll be honest — it's not universally accessible. It demands patience and a willingness to sit with discomfort. If that's not your thing, you're better off skipping it and watching something more straightforward. There's no shame in that.
