The Firefly

The Firefly (Spanish: La luciérnaga) is a 2015 Colombian-American romance/fantasy drama film. Written and directed by Ana Maria Hermida, it stars Carolina Guerra and Olga Segura. The film has been regarded as "the first Colombian lesbian film". The film held its European premiere at the 2016 Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Plot Lucia is in a four-year marriage with Adrian, a banker by profession who is emotionally distant. Lucia finds out about the death via traffic accident of her brother Andrés on what was supposed to be his wedding day. Because of the estranged relationship between the siblings, Lucia is the last family member to find out about the death. While mourning, Lucia visits his apartment, where she encounters his fiancée, Mariana, who is also grieving. They develop a bond, in which they promise to look after one another while upholding their memories of Andrés; as the women spend time together, they develop deeper feelings for each other which eventually become romantic. Lucia's circumstances force her to decide between continuing the marriage or being with Mariana. Throughout the film, Lucia and Andrés' sibling relationship is explored, through childhood flashbacks and post-death fantasy sequences. Cast Carolina Guerra as Lucia Olga Segura as Mariana Manuel José Chaves as Andrés Andrés Aranburo as Adrian Maria Helena Doering as Mercedes Luis Fernando Orozco as Padre Abelardo Álvaro Rodríguez as Cepulturero Pedro Falla as El Pastuso María José Romero as Lucia (Child) Nicolas Pena as Adrian (Child) Victor Alfonso Hermida as Father of Lucia and Adrian Production The film was directly inspired by Hermida's life, but is not autobiographical. Hermida's younger brother died in a car accident in 2007, which was an extreme hardship for Hermida. Afterward, her brother's girlfriend, whom Hermida was already close with, asked to stay with Hermida in New York City for roughly a month. Hermida elaborated, "Knowing she was coming gave me strength. I was able to get out of bed, buy groceries, clean up, and do all the things that seem impossible when you are deeply depressed". During the stay, Hermida noticed the girlfriend observing her, remarking that Hermida looked just like her brother. Hermida described this as "beautiful and interesting", and that it inspired Hermida to form the ideas for this film.