Sofía (Ilse Salas) is all about the best that money can buy. Always wanting to be the envy of her socialite circle, even her fantasies are star-studded affairs, only the best clothes and fanciest of creams touch her skin. Living in a lavish home with her husband Fernando (Flavio Medina), their children and servants, she spends her free time, when not shopping, at an exclusive tennis club gossiping with the other rich wives.

This decadent life she lives is unexpectedly thrown in jeopardy when the 1982 economic crisis hits Mexico. As her credit cards start getting declined, and her desperation to keep up appearances grows dire, especially with the arrival of Ana (Paulina Gaitan) and her wealthy husband to their posh inner circle, Sofía soon finds herself in an uncontrollable spiral.

Patiently bathing in the excess of high society, director Alejandra Márquez Abella’s camera often makes the audience feel like the silent fifth member of Sofía’s inner circle. Keeping the focus on the women, The Good Girls offers poignant commentary on how men, including the President of Mexico and his officials, played loose with people’s money only to get burned. By showing the trickle-down impact of the crisis, when Sofía’s status falls it also impacts those who work for her, the film also captures the ruthlessness of the elite class.

The isolation that Sofía feels, as she is slowly shunned by per former peers, is palpable. While The Good Girls does a solid job of capturing the emotional impact of the economic decline, and drawing parallels to today, the film did not quite provide the knockout punch it seemed to be building up to. The film is so carefully constructed that even Sofía’s lowest moments feel a little too polished. Embracing the messiness of losing wealth and standing a bit more would have made The Good Girls a great film instead of merely being a good one.