Situated on the banks of the Usumacinta River in Chiapas, Mexico, the town of El Remolino suffers from some of the country’s worst flooding. Nearly every rainfall swells the river, bringing torrential floods until the streets and roads are covered in water. Siblings Pedro and Esther Benitez remain in their home region in Mexico to conquer not only the flooded terrain but also the ghosts of a painful shared childhood.
Herrero Garvin’s lyrical documentary surveys the social and ecological impact – from schools that can’t open to farms that can no longer operate – and introduces us to residents who are striving to create a more progressive, sustainable future.
Issues of feminine identity and power, memory, and the influence of family poignantly converge in director Laura Herrero Garvin’s languid and beautiful film.