Boca Vieja

Boca Vieja, home to the filmmaker’s maternal origins, is a small village in southern Mexico of fishermen and farmers who enjoy the land and the sea. During the rainy season, the town must retreat to let nature take its place. This cycle repeats itself as they resist the latent threat of dispossession of their territory. 

Nowadays, the people of Boca Vieja have reappropriated their territory and live in it with dignity, with a sense of deep-rooted pride in the air. Here live many peculiar characters who are enchanted by their work and their lives: Elpidio, a man who takes care of his horse as if it were his son; María, an old lady who is losing her sight but has never stopped feeling the sea; and Jared, a boy who plays in the waves and rescues sea creatures. How can a small town live in the present after fighting for and recovering its land? 

Every year, with the hurricane season, the town’s life is transformed. Fishermen put their nets away, and the harvest floods. It appears everything is lost, but the people have found a way to live with fortitude through their work, humor and passion for what they do. 

Boca Vieja is a tapestry of ongoing stories, moments and the natural chaos of life that reminds us how fragile we are. It is a dialogue between human nature’s fortitude and fragility, the ability to adapt and how unwavering a spirit can be when it is forged by the link of the people, the land and the sea.

Thank you to our screening partner: National Association of Latino Independent Producers.