An illuminating study of modern Dominican Republic told through the lens of a man’s struggles within his family, director Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias’ film Cocote begins with the murder of the family’s patriarch. His son, Christian Alberto, returns to his family home in the countryside. At the funeral, tensions rise between Alberto and his relatives, whose ideological differences are also paired with the demand for Alberto to avenge his father’s death.
While the family’s differences drive the central narrative, Cocote also serves as a reflection of contemporary Dominican Republic, where Alberto represents a new framework that may not be welcomed by long-held traditions. Over the course of the film, it becomes clear that Alberto finds himself at not only a religious chasm with his family, but a cultural one as well. His father’s honor and his family’s sorrow rest on his shoulders, asking for more bloodshed.
Director Biography
Nelson Carlos de los Santos Arias was born in the Dominican Republic in 1985. Prior to his career, he studied film at Edinburgh School of Art and California Institute of Arts. Along with Cocote (’17), he is known for his short film Lullabies (’14).