Character Relationship Map: Sidewalls

Characters

• Mariana (played by Pilar López de Ayala) — protagonist

  Mariana is an aspiring architect and window dresser who returns to her old apartment after a breakup. Living alone, she struggles with anxiety, elevator phobia, and loneliness while assembling mannequ...

• Martín (played by Javier Drolas) — protagonist

  Martín is a web designer who copes with fear of the city through photography and a highly online routine. After his former girlfriend leaves, he adopts their dog, tries dating, hires a dogwalker, and...

• Ana (played by Inés Efrón) — supporting

  Ana is a dogwalker hired by Martín when he spends much of his time online, and she becomes his dating partner for a period. She is already in another relationship and eventually ghosts him, turning th...

• Rafa (played by Rafael Ferro) — supporting

  Rafa is an avid swimmer whom Mariana meets at her local pool after Martín begins swimming there. They go on a date, and she responds kindly when he experiences erectile dysfunction, but he later ghost...

• Marcela (played by Carla Peterson) — supporting

  Marcela is a woman Martín meets through online dating. Described as a manic polyglot, she offers him a possible new connection, but their date ends in disappointment. Her brief appearance mirrors his...

• Lucas (played by Adrián Navarro) — supporting

  Lucas is Mariana’s client and accepts a date with her at a restaurant atop a skyscraper. He becomes dismayed when her fear of elevators leads her to take the stairs; while he waits, anxiety overwhelms...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Martín → Marcela (Romantic Online Dating Match) — Marcela becomes one of Martín's attempts to find intimacy through dating.

  Martín tries online dating and meets Marcela, described as a manic polyglot.

• Mariana → Lucas (Professional Client And Date) — A professional acquaintance becomes a failed social and romantic encounter.

  Mariana agrees to a date with Lucas, who is identified as a client, at a restaurant at the top of a skyscraper.

• Martín → Ana (Professional Client And Dogwalker) — Their initial relationship is based on Ana caring for Martín's dog.

  Martín hires Ana as a dogwalker after ordering a new desk chair.

• Martín → Mariana (Eventual Romantic Partners) — They are initially strangers whose parallel loneliness gradually develops into a romantic relationship.

  Martín and Mariana repeatedly pass each other without meeting, later connect in an Internet chat room, and finally meet after Mariana follows him outs...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Mariana → Rafa (Social Swimming Acquaintances) — The pool provides the setting for their acquaintance.

  Mariana meets Rafa at her local pool, where both are described as avid swimmers.

Story Analysis

Two isolated neighbors gradually overcome urban disconnection and find one another through a chain of missed encounters.

Plot Progression

1. Shoebox Lives — Martín and Mariana are introduced as lonely neighbors in Buenos Aires. Their separate routines reveal fear, heartbreak, and emotional isolation.
2. Failed Openings — Martín hires Ana and begins dating her, while Mariana's encounter with Lucas collapses under the pressure of her elevator phobia. Both experience intimacy that cannot become stable.
3. Discarding the Past — Mariana takes home the discarded chair and deletes images of her former relationship. Martín tries online dating with Marcela, but disappointment continues to separate both protagonists from lasting c...
4. Windows of Possibility — Mariana meets Rafa, experiences another failed romance, and begins changing her appearance and surroundings. New windows and shared emotional moments bring Martín and Mariana closer without their awar...
5. The City Goes Dark — An unexpected chatroom connection is interrupted by a blackout, followed by an accidental meeting at a candle store. Mariana finally overcomes her elevator fear after recognizing Martín outside.