THINGS WE DARE NOT DO (COSAS QUE NO HACEMOS)
Director: Bruno Santamaría Razo
Mexico, 2020 | Spanish with English subtitles | 77 min | Rated PG
Live stream Q&A with Bruno Santamaría Razo: Thursday, Sept 3 at 12 noon on VLAFF’s Facebook LIVE
View IN-PERSON at The Cinematheque: Wednesday, Sept 2, 7:00pm
Preceded (BC viewing only) by the short film Vaivén (Dir. Nisha Platzer)
Nestled between two rivers and a forest of mangroves is a small and sheltered island in Mexico. There, children are free to play and grow in what seems like a virtual paradise. Ñoño, 16, spends the days teaching the younger children how to dance. But Ñoño’s deepest secret must come out. As the island prepares for a community celebration, Ñoño begins to work up the courage to tell their family about their gender identity. When the joyful bursting of firecrackers gives way to sudden gunfire, the idyllic peace of the island is shattered and Ñoño must face the reality of the machismo and transphobia that surrounds the community.
From one of Mexico’s rising filmmakers comes an exquisite story of youthful courage and of the purity of living as one’s true self. Heather Haynes, Hot Docs
Ubicado entre dos ríos y un bosque de manglares, se encuentra una isla pequeña y protegida en México. Allí, los niños son libres de jugar y crecer en lo que parece un paraíso virtual. Ñoño, de 16 años, no quiere crecer y prefiere pasar sus días enseñando a bailar a los niños más pequeños. Pero la juventud no puede durar para siempre, y el secreto más profundo de Ñoño debe salir a la luz. Mientras la isla se prepara para una celebración comunitaria, Ñoño comienza a reunir la valentía para decirle a su familia que quiere vivir su vida como una mujer. Cuando el alegre estallido de los fuegos artificiales da paso a disparos repentinos, la paz idílica de la isla se rompe y Ñoño debe enfrentar la realidad del machismo y la transfobia que le rodea. De uno de los cineastas en ascenso de México surge una historia exquisita de valentía juvenil y de la pureza de vivir como uno mismo.
Bruno Santamaría Razo was born in Mexico City on June 2, 1986. His work as a cinematographer has been exhibited at national and international festivals, such as Camerimage 2014, Festival de la Habana 2015, São Paulo 2014, Morelia 2014, etc. Margarita, his first feature film as director, premiered at the FIPA festival in Biarritz in January 2016 and received a Special Mention for Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG).
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