After the death of her mother, Maria arrives in Montreal from the Philippines to live with her grandmother. She cannot relate to her new life and to her grandmother’s dream. She finds herself alienated and isolated, both at home and at school until she befriends a Filipino cholo gang. Searching for meaning, she transforms into a chola, a Latina gangsta, hoping to find a sense of purpose in a world where she doesn’t belong. Alex, a 19-year-old Colombian, has returned to Buenaventura after being deported from the US. He carries with him the secret of his brother’s death. Alex tries to restart his life as a fisherman and support his family, but his return catches the interest of a local gang. To survive and to protect his youngest brother, Alex decides to join them. David, a 16-year-old Mazahua native, leaves his indigenous village for Mexico City after his father’s death. He finds a job on a construction site and starts befriending a punk community that will help him find his true identity. This second feature by Juan Andrés Arango (La Playa DC) follows these three teenagers living in different areas of the Americas yet going through the same experience of grief, migration and transformation.

“An immersive experience (...) Tracks youth in tumult.”

“Powerfully resonant (...) Arango keeps this ambitious project spinning with impressive confidence.”

“A well made morality tale.”

Toronto International Film Festival

International Film Festival Rotterdam