Childhood sweethearts Carmen and Alfredo live a life of quiet bliss in Satélite, a sleepy suburb outside Mexico City. When Alfredo is offered a promotion, the lovebirds make the move into the bustling metropolis.
It's a rude awakening for Carmen, who until now has not really worried about the fact that she and Alfredo are both overweight. After overhearing gossip about their body shapes at a company party, she decides that it is time to swap the donuts for salads, and urges Alfredo to join her in a weight-loss program. But when only one of them actually starts to slim down, what has always been a perfect relationship is suddenly put to the test.
Mexican director Mariana Chenillo made history in 2010 when she became the first female director to win an Ariel Award (Mexico's equivalent of the Oscar) for best picture. This is her second feature which explores with gentle humour the difficulty of change and our modern obsession with body size.
Poignant and disarmingly honest, Paradise is a romantic comedy at heart, which offers compelling commentary on the pressure that people — especially women — receive from society to be thin at all costs.
