Life is full of battles, and only those who think quickly and are attentive to their opponents win. Between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, it is no different: the mother-in-law unexpectedly initiates psychological warfare over the way her grandchildren are being raised. From there, the dinner table becomes the setting for a dangerous and subtle game of real-life chess between the two opponents, a game which leaves no space for distraction and only one can emerge victorious.

How can the daughter-in-law respond to the attack and win? With resolve, quick thinking and a strong cup of Café Pelé coffee, the necessary attention to resolve the conflict is guaranteed.

We see a young woman holding a cup of coffee. She walks out of the kitchen into the dining room where her mother-in-law is waiting for her. The daughter-in-law sits down across from her and, stirring her coffee with a spoon, breaks the silence, beginning the conversation:

Daughter-in-law: What was it you wanted to discuss?

The mother-in-law’s face, which had been smiling and affable, immediately turns stern and grumpy. Quickly, she gets straight to the point:

Mother-in-law: I want to talk about my grandchildren.

The room’s conventional lighting dims. A spotlight turns on as in a police interrogation. A chessboard appears on the table between them. The chessboard’s pieces are all miniature live human beings. On the mother-in-law’s side the pieces are mini-mother-in-laws; on the daughter-in-law’s side they are mini-daughter-in-laws. The pieces represent the relationship between the two, or rather, the game of chess that life demands they play.

The mother-in-law makes the first move and says:

Mother-in-law: “Imposing limits while raising children” takes “excessive freedom given by today’s parents”.

Openly initiating the confrontation, the mother-in-law’s king, holding an old thick book, moves over to the daughter-in-law’s bishop.

The king abruptly opens the book and holds it in front of the opposing piece. “THE MOTHER-IN-LAW’S RULEBOOK” is written in gilded archaic lettering. This blow takes the bishop by surprise, and the stunned piece resignedly steps off the board.

The mother-in-law’s king imposingly takes the place of its vanquished adversary. All of the other mother-in-law pieces hoot and gloat menacingly, as if the battle had already been won.

The real-life mother-in-law presses the button on the clock next to the chessboard, marking the time it took to make her move.

With an arrogant, triumphant expression, she bites into a small cookie as she awaits her daughter-in-law’s response.

The daughter-in-law calmly looks over the chessboard, unshaken. She picks up her coffee cup, takes a sip and serenely says:

Daughter-in-law: “Video of a modern sociologist talking about child rearing” takes “old school mother-in-law’s rulebook”.

We return to the chessboard. The daughter-in-law’s queen, holding a notebook, walks over to the mother-in-law’s king.

Looking firmly at her opponent, she carefully opens the notebook and, with a click, begins streaming a video of a TED Talk style lecture; a sociologist, microphone in hand, declaring to much applause that children are much happier when allowed to make their own decisions.

The mother-in-law’s king is shocked by this unexpected move. The real-life mother-in-law is also taken aback. She tries to think of a quick response, but gives up. With restrained horror, she looks into her daughter-in-law’s eyes. The daughter-in-law coldly announces the game’s end:

Daughter-in-law: Checkmate.

Understanding that the end is near, the mother-in-law’s king looks up, awaiting the chess-player mother-in-law’s final decision.

She responds with a discreet gesture, passing her hand over her own throat, signaling to the king to concede and die.

The mother-in-law’s king shrugs, lets out a breath and, in resignation, lies down on the chessboard, using the mother-in-law’s thick rulebook as a pillow to rest its head. The mother-in-law’s remaining pieces, in disbelief, abandon the chessboard while the daughter-in-law’s pieces take in the scene with frosty superiority, having won the battle with minimal effort.

In triumph, the daughter-in-law looks over her real-life opponent with the same air of superiority, savoring the victory and another sip of coffee while a chorus of tenors and sopranos vigorously sing of her unimpeachable victory.

A graphic appears:

Strong coffee. Strong mind.

The Café Pelé logo appears over the unfocused image, ending the scene.