Ana María is a pregnant home health aide and Colombian immigrant in Panama City, whose status is in limbo and who carries a secret. She becomes the caretaker for Mercedes, a wealthy and mercurial woman with encroaching dementia that sets off a delicate dance of isolation and dependance. But the two forge an unexpected bond in Ana Endara’s sensitive and atmospheric fiction debut.

Mercedes is a businesswoman from high society, suffering the early stages of dementia. Her daughter, Jimena, arranges for Ana María to take care of her mother, who burns through caretakers like cigarettes. Jimena promises Ana María that if she can last, the family lawyers will help her attain permanent status in Panama. It’s a deal too good to deny, and at first Ana María wonders if she can hold on. Soon, however, an understanding grows, spending hours in Mercedes’ lush garden and becoming friends. Beloved Tropic was a Centrepiece selection at the Toronto International Film Festival.