Felipe is a man who has spent his life migrating, “Like the doves, like the seagulls.” But his isn’t a stereotypical tale of emigrating to a land where the streets are paved with gold. The 8-month-old son he left behind will soon turn 16, and Felipe has worked hard to make his way from New York back home to Mexico. That includes several side jobs — most notably cleaning the schvitz in a Jewish synagogue — in addition to making the daily rounds of dumpsters in search of recyclable gold. All this to send money home to a family that may have outlived his usefulness. (“It’s for you that I’m so far away,” is his way of justifying his absence.) But what if the tarot reader is correct and Felipe’s family has no use for him outside of the monthly checks? What if his son sees dad’s name on the caller ID and refuses to pick up? Still, the viewer can watch a man push a cart or stack bottles for only so long, and it’s when Felipe allows directors Lindsey Cordero and Armando Croda access to his love life that the film moves in a fresh (and frank) direction. Because it’s then that Felipe’s love for and devotion toward his wife and children is put to the test, as he fans the flame of romance with a neighborhood senorita. (2018) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.