Beyond the Short Official Premiere

Brothers Joaquin and Ari Cartagena move in with their Abuela in the rural countryside of western Massachusetts after the untimely death of their parents . Here they experience the highs and lows innate with childhood and must navigate their relationship amidst the tragic loss . The depths of the surrounding wilderness foster memories of joy and freedom, while the confines of Abuela's house creates a fragile tension as each brother learns to cope with loss in their own way. When Ari suddenly goes missing upon entering through the mouth of some ruins in the forest, Joaquin is forced to make sense of the inexplainable scenario. Burdened to live a life forever in search of closure, He learns that loss comes in forms other than that of just death. It isn’t until 15 years later that Joaquin decides to revisit his hometown in search of answers to the unsolved mysteries of his childhood.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

“My intent with this film was to create a moving collage of dreams and memories that circulated around grief and closure or the lack there of. What my team and I brought to life was something like the chapter out of a lost memoir; a story on the hidden realms around us that connect our dreams to our realities and the rife complexities of brotherhood. Sibling relationships are nuanced, often exhibiting a blend of love, envy, anger, and an incomparable sense of familiarity. Throughout my childhood, my relationship with my younger brother was always complex; the constant trials and pitfalls of a sibling rivalry that almost never ended. Having a best friend in one moment and a rival in another, the and sporadic moments of our childhood made us estranged. That sense of estrangement harbored a feeling of guilt as I got older. This is a film that aims to explore those rifts, and those feelings of guilt as we follow the story of two brothers who find themselves forever tethered yet separated by an inexplainable supernatural phenomena.

The 10-minute cerebral journey navigates itself through memories of love and anger and the baggage of unresolved trauma. What's experienced is a dreamy portrait of what it means to be taken over by questions forever unanswered.”

-Davi X. Peña