MSP Film Society will require, at the time of entry, either proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination or negative results from a COVID-19 test performed within 72 hours of the screening. Masks are strongly recommended for all screenings regardless of vaccination status, unless actively eating or drinking. For more information regarding MSP Film Society's COVID-19 policy CLICK HERE.
Access to Cine Latino streaming movies are geo-restricted to viewers in Minnesota and a MN billing address is required to purchase a ticket.
Your ticket includes a recorded introduction and Q&A with directors Rodrigo Plá and Laura Santullo.
Like single moms everywhere, Elena (Julia Chavez) knows all too well the stresses that come when you’re but a paycheck or two from being out on the streets. Living in an El Paso trailer park, working as a warehouse forklift driver and single handedly taking care of her rebellious elementary school-age son Tom (Israel Rodriguez Bertorelli), all while receiving zero assistance from his deadbeat father, Elena finds pleasure and release when she can—a night out with the girls, cruising a newly purchased used car, a quick one-nighter. When Tom grows into a holy terror at school, refusing to listen to directions, constantly lying to his teachers and being aggressive with classmates, he’s quickly diagnosed with ADHD and sent to a behavioral therapy regimen that leads nowhere. But when medication is introduced and Tom ends up hospitalized by a mysterious ‘accident’ consistent with the drugs’ dangerous side effects, Elena intuitively knows what her son needs to heal his bruised spirit. Standing up against a powerful system already stacked against her, all while confronting her own deeply-felt and wholly justified issues with authority, Elena must find her own path of healing for both herself and her son in this powerful new tale of strength, resilience and hope, written and directed by Rodrigo Pla and Laura Santullo.
Como muchas madres solteras, Elena (Julia Chavez) conoce muy bien el estrés que ocurre cuando a veces se encuentra al borde de quedar en la calle. Vive en El Paso en un parque de caravanas, trabajando como operadora de montacargas en un depósito y cuidando sola de su hijo Tom (Israel Rodriguez Bertorelli), en edad escolar y muy rebelde, (sin ayuda del padre que no paga manutención), Elena encuentra placer y alivio toda vez que puede—salir una noche con sus amigas, conducir su automóvil usado que acaba de comprar, y una relación sexual de una noche. Cuando Tom se hace cada vez más ingobernable en la escuela, rehusandose a seguir instrucciones, mintiendo constantemente a sus maestros y agresivo con sus compañeros, es diagnosticado con el trastorno de déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) y enviado a un programa de terapia conductual que no produce efecto. Cuando se le da medicación y Tom termina hospitalizado debido a un incidente misterioso relacionado con los efectos secundarios peligrosos del medicamento, Elena se da cuenta intuitivamente que su hijo necesita sanar su espíritu vapuleado. Enfrentando a un sistema poderoso que está en su contra, mientras confronta sus propios problemas con la autoridad, que están bien enraizados y completamente justificados, Elena debe encontrar sus propio camino de sanación para sí misma y para su hijo en esta impactante historia de fortaleza, resiliencia y esperanza, escrita y dirigida por Rodrigo Pla y Laura Santullo.
Director Biography
Born in 1968 in Uruguay and since 1977, Rodrigo Plá has lived in Mexico. He is an acclaimed film director, producer and screenwriter of outstanding films. Some of his most prominent short films are The Bride (1995), The Eye on the Nape (Clermond-Ferrand ISFF 2000) , and 30-30 (2010), the latter being part of the collective feature-length film Revolution co-directed by a group of Mexican filmmakers, presented at the Cannes Critics Week and the Berlin Film Festival. He made the feature films La Zona (Giornata degli autori section, Venice International Film Festival, 2007), The Desert Within (closing film in Critics' Week, Cannes Film Festival 2008), The Delay (Forum section, Berlinale, 2012), A Monster with a Thousand Heads (Orizzonti, Venice International Film Festival, 2015) and The Other Tom (Orizzonti, Venice International Film Festival 2021).
Laura Santullo was born in Uruguay and has lived in Mexico for more than 25 years. She is a film scriptwriter and a narrative writer. She is internationally acclaimed for her work as a screenwriter, collaborating with film director, and life-partner, Rodrigo Plá. They have two sons, Martin and Lucas. Santullo has written the screenplays for all four of Plá’s feature films, which are film adaptations of stories she has written. Their last film, A Monster with a Thousand Heads, was based on a novel by the same name penned by Santullo, and published in 2016. Santullo’s screenplays involve mothers in extreme situations that depict a sense of class difference. As a screenwriter, she has received several awards for her work, including three Ariels (2008, 2013, 2016) an award given by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Mexico. She also received the Best Screenplay Award at the 13th Athens International Film Festival (2007), just to name a few. She has also garnered nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Goya Awards in Spain (2007) and the Fénix Awards (2016) in the category of Best Script. Outside of her film writing she has written and published six books: The Other Side, A Balloon From Cantoya, A Monster With a Thousand Heads, The Year of Secrets, They Came With The Wind, and The Other Tom.