How Martha Hoffman’s Story in 27 Nights Challenges the Boundaries Between Sanity and Personal Autonomy in Old Age

The figure of Martha Hoffmanan 83-year-old woman who defies the limits imposed by society and her own family, becomes the axis of 27 nightsthe new Argentine production now available on Netflix. The film, directed and starring Daniel Hendler and based on the novel of the same name by Natalia Zitoexplores the fine line between sanity and madness, as well as the tension between individual freedom and family control, through a story inspired by real events that occurred in Buenos Aires in the early 2000s.

In the center of the plot, Martha Hoffman She is admitted to a psychiatric clinic at the request of her daughters, who maintain that she suffers from dementia. The judicial expert get married takes on the task of determining if Martha really suffers from a mental illness or if, on the contrary, she has chosen to live her last years with full autonomy. This judicial investigation becomes the narrative engine of the film, which alternates between Martha’s confinement for 27 nights and the evaluation by Casares, in the midst of a family dispute marked by suspicion and the desire for control over the protagonist’s fortune.

Daniel Hendler explained to Netflix that the history of 27 nights is inspired by the real case of a wealthy woman diagnosed with frontotemporal diseasewho was confined in a neuropsychiatric hospital and remained incommunicado for almost a month. According to Hendler, the film appropriates these events to transform them into a fable about the struggle between a mother and her daughters, where madness is presented as a limit that is difficult to define: “The daughters consider that Martha is crazy and she herself, her environment and the expert doubt it. That dividing line between madness and sanity is imprecise, and the film sets its sights there,” said the director in dialogue with Netflix.

The script, initially developed by Mariano Llinas and then adapted by Martin Mauregui y Agustina Liendostructures the narrative in two parts and delves into the relationship between Martha and the expert Casares. Hendler highlighted that, although the comedy comes naturally, the film also incorporates elements of police and romantic comedy, especially in the unexpected complicity that is established between the protagonists. “They both seem to have something broken, they carry their emotional fissures and that encounter connects them in their human and contradictory areas,” Hendler told Netflix.

The representation of mental health was approached with special care, resorting to the advice of specialists and the company itself. Natalia Zitoauthor of the original novel. Hendler underscored the team’s interest in exploring how the boundary between health and insanity is defined, and how that often-fuzzy threshold can determine a person’s inclusion or exclusion in society.

The interpretation of Marilu Marini in the role of Martha has been one of the highlights of the filming. Hendler described the experience of working with the actress as moving and highlighted her willingness to take risks in scenes that bordered on the ridiculous or rude: “Marilú is of all ages and, beyond being a cultured and sophisticated woman, she never lost her rock spirit”the director expressed to Netflix.

For its part, Marilu Marini shared that the character of Martha is inspired by Natalia Cohena real woman he had the opportunity to meet. Marini explained to Netflix that, although she took her energy and love for the beautiful from Kohen, she avoided reproducing specific memories to focus on the creation of her own character: “What I did was take that love for the beautiful, the aesthetic, the unusual, take that freedom that she had and that capacity for empathy with people, that generosity of a person who has money and who shares it with others through works, events and situations. I was inspired by that force that inhabited her,” the actress said.

The film also addresses the concept of family, both biological and chosen. Marini reflected on the complexity of family ties and the tendency of people to form emotional ties outside the circle of origin: “The biological family is something with which one usually has a lot of conflict, partly due to proximity, and also because of the situation of the woven historywhich is born in the unconscious, in relationships that are not said or symbolized by language but are established by something very previous. It is something very mysterious. And I think that this mysterious movement makes us choose a family of choice,” Marini explained to Netflix.

The filming of 27 nights brought together a team led by Agustina Llambi Campbell y Santiago Miter in production, with the participation of The Union of Rivers. The cast includes, in addition to Marini and Hendler, Humberto Tortonese, Julieta Zylberberg, Paula Grinszpan y Carla Peterson. Photography was done by Julián Apezteguíathe music of Pedro Osunathe edition of Nicolas Goldbartcostume design Roberta Pescithe sound of Santiago Fumagalli and the art of Sebastian Orgambide. The film has a duration of 1 hour and 47 minutes and was produced in 2025.

The experience of filming in Argentina was especially meaningful for Marini, who highlighted the positive energy and fluid communication between all areas of the team. Regarding her work with Hendler, the actress said: “I admire Daniel a lot. He is very present in both roles. He was very available for contact with the people who worked with him in all areas. His attitude created a space where one felt free and comfortable to work,” Marini told Netflix.

Both Hendler and Marini agree that 27 nights invites the public to question prejudices about aging, mental health and personal freedom. “Let them be moved by the links, beyond the initial need to judge who are the good and who are the bad, the crazy and the healthy; a logical dichotomy that I hope is overcome by the humanity of the characters,” Hendler expressed to Netflix. Marini, for his part, hopes that the film offers an entertaining experience and allows viewers to feel that “every human being has the possibility of being free and not tied to social norms,” in his words to Netflix.