WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Reunion. Does the idea of a large gathering of family come to mind when seeing or hearing this word? Is it about former classmates getting together after “x” number of years to talk, reflect, and learn what’s what since graduation? Or, is it about coming back around to one whom you were estranged from, the opportunity suddenly present to see them again? And, IS this truly what you want? The question posed is precisely what a young woman named Cristina (Carolina Gutierrez) must ponder upon receiving a chance to see her mother Alma (Neher Jacqueline Briceño) again. Almost twenty years after being involuntarily torn apart, Cristina’s long-buried memories of the separation could spell the difference between accepting the given prospect, or allowing uncertainty to win out.
Next, my Mind:
A portrait encompassing the commitment of parenthood, dynamics of longstanding evocation, emotional hesitation, and the unambiguous desire to be reunited with that which had been lost, this Oscar qualified 15-minute short film from writer/director/producer Melissa Fisher, writer Mair Flores, producers Kai De Mello-Folsom and Katie Gunderson plus associate producers Edward Enriquez-Cohen, Angelyna Martinez-Boyd, and Tashi Trieu delivers a convincing, dramatic, and wholeheartedly stirring exploration of the past, present, and newly attained future while showcasing the simple yet profound beauty of human and maternal bonds. For this critic, I first felt the potency of the film’s foundational thematic course, not from the portrayal of separation it conveys, but more from having lost my father two years ago and experiencing how much that brought about the need for an even closer relationship with my mom, the importance of it, and treasuring the TIME with it.
In the context of this narrative, which sees a now successful and fulfilled young woman thrust into the opportunity to be reunited with the mother she got taken away from a long time ago and has now been found, what provides the film its emotive punch is actually the showcasing of her doubts, her apprehensions that start manifesting when recollecting about the harrowing circumstances that caused their parting. It’s a definitive, deeply moving, but undeniably stormy journey of reminiscing she’s encountering, causing the aforementioned instances of pause to be pondered paired with the equally influential feelings of excitement and yearning to have that unequivocally necessary support and love as only a parent to child can contain. The intelligent utilization of flashbacks here works wonders, especially with no dialogue present for them, as the imagery carries more than enough evident weight and significance to FEEL every moment fully and purposefully.
What else stood out for me here is how deftly the film addresses so many underlying threads associated with the primary gist the narrative intends, giving us more specific lessons that delve into the notions of perceptions we start wondering about in this type of scenario. “What will they think of me?”, “Will they be proud of me?”, “Have I successfully carried forth a legacy with my success?”, “Could there actually be any resentment of my potentially higher level OF achievement?”, “Have I done justice to my heritage?” are all queries I felt are being asked here as the story we witness progresses. It is imperative to understand that while several, if not even all of those concerns, might be things we would automatically assume WOULDN’T be an issue in the eyes of a parent towards their progeny, it cannot be assumed, especially in the context of the film’s depiction of where the characters are at in life. Therefore, it only makes this story more impactful.
There is a particular moment where Cristina is making a choice associated with the reunion that truly speaks to those questions above, but I won’t get into the details. Suffice it to say, it lends a real weightiness but relevance to the story in a highly effective manner, leading up to a finale that is nothing short of magically, tear-inducingly divine, a genuine exhibition of indisputable devotion, tenderness, relief, understanding, and fresh exhilaration that this world needs more of. Period. Gutierrez is so beautifully, poignantly, affectively vulnerable and yet steadfastly determined and set on a long-gestating goal through her performance as Cristina, a woman relishing the life she has built in the shadow of a tumultuous past who has now gotten word about a search she’s been on–to find the mother she was pulled away from as a child. Now with this able to occur, however, Cristina also starts confronting the ghosts from their past circumstances, which begin causing anxieties about a reunion.
Working through this, Cristina moves towards what she’s always wanted, with the final results still in question. It’s a fantastically fervent performance Gutierrez brings here, so easily drawing you into the character’s emotionally volatile journey with adept poise. Briceño also brings forth a wonderfully understated and fully accessible performance through her turn here as Alma, Cristina’s mother who’s been separated from her child for far too long yet has since created an uncomplicated life for herself. Perhaps not completely free in mind, soul, and heart from the past situation that got her to where she is and that took her child from her, her evident care for other immigrants who remind her of the past carry her forward. Then, the moment comes she also may have believed would never occur. It’s a magnificent moment that comes about, and how Briceño conveys her character’s feelings is just so engaging and REAL.
Primary supporting turns are present from Desiree Marisol Carcamo and River Jose as the younger versions of our lead characters, doing a very effective and also winning job at depicting the plight the pair endured, including the harshness of what then lead to their being taken apart, Marc Anthony Samuel as Dan, Cristina’s husband who shows unwavering and constructively challenging support for her during the times of indecision she’s confronting in regard to seeing her mother again, and Gerardo Saenz as Javier, an El Salvadoran immigrant whom Alma meets at her place of work and relates to in a brief but meaningful conversation. Additional supporting appearances are made by Aneysa Knox, Bowie Knox, Eric Dyson, Andre Cantuniar, Oscar Leiva, and Sean Burgos (additional voices).
So, in total, “Buscando Alma” stands as a both a distinctly haunting but above all uplifting tale of the trials of immigration, maintaining faith, overcoming the past, embracing the present, recalling what we long for, and then returning to what we truly need, with all of it ultimately centered on what is most needed now and forever–all-encompassing love for those we cherish and, by extension, the greater humanity around us. May we take a lesson from this and APPLY IT to see a better world to call home.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
