Institute History
Description
Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Vicky Hernandéz and Manolo Cruz
Sun. January 31, 2:15pm, The MARC, Park City
Twenty-eight-year-old Alberto lives on a swampy marsh adjacent to the Caribbean Sea, which he dreams of one day visiting. But Alberto is afflicted with a neurological disorder that confines him to his bed, and his mother, Rosa, lovingly protects and takes care of him. Alberto’s wry humor and creativity help them muster the strength to endure, and he enjoys the company of his neighbor Giselle, who showers Alberto with affection. But the life he imagines with his would-be sweetheart feels just as close-yet-out-of-reach as the sea he looks upon. As he slips into anguish, Rosa confronts her past in order to lift her son’s burden and make his dreams attainable.
Manolo Cruz (who also wrote the film) gives a tremendous performance as Alberto, inhabiting a young man trapped by physical hardship but unbound by spirit. Cruz and Carlos del Castillo directed together for this indelible first feature, which portrays the extraordinary resilience and grace of characters caught in between the margins of a beautiful place.