Among the 2023 Sundance Film Festival lineup, some of the sharpest eyes were on short films. This year’s productions allowed us to glimpse the thematic concerns and the formal searches for filmmakers who, in most cases, are beginning their careers in the industry. In the case of the directors of Latino origin, these shorts are a kind of sampler on the characteristic problems of the region, from identity and racial conflicts, to those that have to do with ways of expressing love and family differences. . Below we offer a look at the proposals of Latin American filmmakers to keep an eye on.
factory girl (Selma Cervantes)
With careful staging, the details of this short film articulate the weight that an exploitative company has on the women who work in it, manufacturing face masks in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic. The sobriety of the colors and the arrangement of the frames speak of the physical and mental confinement of the workers, while the sweat on their faces allows us to sense the exhaustion and anguish to which they are subjected.
The story centers on Inés (Yalitza Aparicio), who tries to hide her pregnancy with desperate measures at the prospect of losing her job.
This production allows us to appreciate the acting growth of Yalitza Aparicio, who is convincing and exact in the range of emotions that she prints on Inés: from anger to frustration over the conditions she faces. The prodigious direction of Selma Cervantes is also confirmed, who received an Ariel nomination for the short manchester acatitla in 2022.
I Have No Tears, and I Must Cry (Luis Fernando Puente)
A married couple attends an immigration interview to obtain the green card in United States. The joy and lightness of the couple is suddenly darkened when the agent in charge treats them hostilely. From one moment to the next, future plans are in the hands of a person who does not show any kindness towards them.
The tension of this short is sustained by the fluctuation of expressions and words between the agent (Cherie Julander) and the wife (Alejandra Herrera). The intransigence and severity of the first disarms the second; both actresses are exact in the nuances that their characters and narrative demand.
Director Luis Fernando Puente, of Mexican origin and based in Utah, empathetically addresses a common situation for Latin Americans seeking to start a new life in the United States.
The kidnapping of the bride (Sophia Mocorrea)
The intimacy between Fred and Luisa follows their own rhythms and a language reserved just for the two of them. She is Argentine and he is German; but between them there is enough understanding to read each other’s thoughts with their eyes, share clothes or guess their tastes.
Their wedding approaches and families enter the scene, along with a series of conventions that they must face: their own dress or the traditional one? Living in the huge house inherited from the family? Put up with his parents’ comments on his decisions? The short film tries to make the gestures speak of the comfort and discomfort of the characters, while the eloquence of the camera and the production design emphasize the complicity between Fred and Luisa with their movements, colors and lights. The story also explores the contrasts implicit in bicultural relationships.
The short film, which is also part of the Berlin International Film Festival selection, puts Sophia Mocorrea’s skill as a director on the map and shows the curiosity and sensitivity of her gaze.
Shirampari: Inheritances of the River (Lucia Florez)
In the Peruvian Amazon, a man tries to pass on to his son the knowledge to fish on the banks of the river. This documentary short film was made with the support of National Geographic, so it collects images about the majesty of the region. But in addition to that, it delves into the relationship between father and son and the closeness that exists in selecting together the optimal material to make a fishing rod, in going through the river, in painting their faces before a ritual. The director captures the shared love for nature, for the community, and in the family ties of an Asheninka community.
You might also be interested: Full list of Sundance 2023 winners.
fabiola santiago Journalist and film critic. She is interested in the diversity of looks in movies and series. She speaks and writes about cinema made by women, by indigenous and Latin American filmmakers.
