The House of Flowers Presents: The Funeral 2019

In Houston, the de la Mora family is shaken by the sudden death of their matriarch, Virginia, who had cut off contact with her loved ones. The burden falls on Ernesto, Ernesto De La Mora to transport her coffin back to Mexico City, while the family florist becomes the unlikely stage for a wake that dredges up old tensions and unspoken grief. The household is already full of undercurrents, with the eldest, Paulina De La Mora, bracing for the arrival of her transgender partner, María José, and their son, Bruno Riquemne De La Mora, who is anxious about the distance from his grandmother and the fragile stability of their new life together. Bruno himself feels the weight of expectation, torn between duty and the guilt of leaving Spain without a proper goodbye.

With Ernesto delayed, the youngest, Julián De La Mora, schemes to keep the wake running, arranging for a coffin to arrive on loan. When the borrowed casket rolls in, a mix-up sets in motion: guests assume Virginia is already inside, and Julián is sent out to greet everyone while his siblings scramble to keep people from touching the prop of a funeral that has somehow turned into a confusing illusion. The tension is heightened by Julián’s own sense of identity being pulled in different directions, a quiet sort of crisis that blossoms as the day wears on.

The middle child, Elena De La Mora, waits for her new biker boyfriend, a look that clashes with the dark makeup and leather jacket she wears to fit the mood. Throughout the room, a procession of past paramours appears, and she does her best to appease them all without ruffling the feathers of the more uptight guests who would rather maintain a certain decorum. The wake becomes a balancing act between affection, humor, and the unspoken judgment that often accompanies family gatherings of this kind.

Across the border, Ernesto runs into bureaucratic trouble when he’s stopped for not having certified translations of Virginia’s documents. Inside, Paulina is forced to confront old school friends and a social crowd that includes homophobic and transphobic banter, which she meets with a sharpened edge born from years of navigating expectations and prejudice. Julián reconnects with an old friend, Oliver, who arrives with a surprising business proposition tied to a risky, morally gray path as a male escort. The atmosphere grows increasingly fraught as Bruno sinks deeper into drink, his guilt and sense of responsibility for others (including Micaéla) weighing heavily on him behind the laughter and light chatter.

A desperate plan surfaces: a plan to smuggle Virginia’s body back to Mexico by disguising the coffin as if she were peacefully sleeping, moving it into the trunk, and continuing on. Ernesto reluctantly agrees. They are then loaned the use of a private jet, owned by a well-connected friend, to fly to Mexico City. When Ernesto arrives, the group discovers that the “Virginia” in the borrowed coffin is bright pink and fluffy—the truth is revealed only as they manage the awkward distraction of the wake. The hospital in Houston, meanwhile, is sending Virginia’s belongings by courier, a delay that adds to the sense that time is slipping away from them all.

During the tributes, Paulina experiences a breakdown, triggered by the layered web of her mother’s real and imagined friends and the public’s reaction to her relationship. María José steadies her, guiding her to a back room where she, and her siblings who are also hiding, have a moment of confession and candor. The realization that they are literally sitting on top of the pink coffin prompts them to slip out, choosing to mingle with the guests rather than confront the situation head-on.

Outside, Julián’s ex and family accountant, Diego Olvera, reappears to offer his sympathies. Oliver steps in to block Diego’s approach, insisting Julián is too consumed by anger to see him, though the opposite may be true. Julián then faces Lucía Dávila, his ex-girlfriend who tries to rekindle something, while Elena’s new boyfriend finally arrives, only to be dismissed as the family navigates the delicate social terrain. As the day closes, Ernesto thanks María José for standing by him and receives a curious invitation from the jet’s owner, Carlos, to join a secretive elite group known as the Flock.

The wake unfolds as a complex tapestry of love, loyalty, and the burdens of family duty, where humor and heartbreak intertwine and every gesture carries more weight than it seems. The de la Moras must reconcile their grief with a sense of belonging, even as they confront uncomfortable truths about identity, friendship, and the kinds of rituals communities rely on to move forward. Throughout, the memory of Virginia lingers, shaping each choice and drawing the family closer together, if only for a moment, before the next chapter begins.