What We Leave Behind (film)

What We Leave Behind
Directed byIliana Sosa
Written byIliana Sosa
Isidore Bethel
Produced byEmma D. Miller
Iliana Sosa
Isidore Bethel (co-producer)
CinematographyJudy Phu
Monica Wise Robles
Iliana Sosa
Edited byIsidore Bethel
Production
companies
Borderchild Productions
Marcona Media
Distributed byARRAY
Netflix
Release date
  • March 11, 2022 (2022-03-11) (SXSW)
[1]
Running time
71 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Mexico
LanguageSpanish

What We Leave Behind is a 2022 documentary film directed by Iliana Sosa. The film is a portrait of Sosa's grandfather, Julián Moreno, as he starts building a house in the Mexican state of Durango. As a younger man, Julián had spent decades living between the United States and Mexico, first working as a bracero and later traveling by bus to visit his children and grandchildren in the Southwestern United States. In the film, Julián revisits this past with his granddaughter as the two forge a tighter bond together.[2] Voiceovers from the director punctuate the film and pair with imagery of the local landscape; the soundtrack features an a cappella song by the Cardencheros de Sapioriz, who are also from Durango.[3]

The film received development, production, and post-production support from several institutions, including the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms, the Sundance Institute, the IDA, the Austin Film Society, the True/False & Catapult Rough Cut Retreat, the Jacob Burns Film Center, the Gotham Documentary Lab, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum.[4]

Reception

The film premiered at SXSW, where it received the Fandor New Voices Award and the Louis Black "Lone Star" Award.[5] It then screened at several other festivals, including Full Frame, First Look, and the Camden, Guanajuato, and Morelia International Film Festivals.[6] It earned several other awards, including Thin Line Fest's Emerging Filmmaker Award and a Special Mention at the Tacoma Film Festival.[7] The film received a Best Documentary nomination at the Gotham Awards.[8]

ARRAY released the film in theaters in the United States, and it debuted on Netflix in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand on September 30, 2022.[9]

The film met with "universal acclaim" from critics, according to its Metacritic score of 89.[10] It has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, both among critics and audiences.[11] The Hollywood Reporter characterized the film as "first-person filmmaking at its eloquent best."[12] The Boston Globe called it a "limpid, emotionally deep, and poetically resonant documentary."[13] Several writers praised the film for its understated takes on migration, the US-Mexico border, and second-generation and diasporic experience.[14][15][16][17] It featured on the Los Angeles Times' list of recommendations for the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, and The New York Times named it a Critic's Pick.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ "What We Leave Behind". SXSW. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Iliana Sosa's 'What We Leave Behind' authentically captures grandfather Julián Moreno, steals audience's heart at SXSW". The Daily Texan. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "A Personal Portrait of Life: Interview with WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND Director Iliana Sosa". Film Chisme. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND Press Notes" (PDF). What We Leave Behind. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "2022 Winners". SXSW. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "All Screenings". What We Leave Behind. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Thin Line Award Winners". Thin Line Fest. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "Gotham Awards: 'Tár,' 'Aftersun' Lead Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND Trailer: SXSW-Winning Doc Is A Tribute To Family & Heritage". Hammer to Nail. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  10. ^ "What We Leave Behind". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  11. ^ "What We Leave Behind". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "'What We Leave Behind' Review: A Filmmaker's Lyrical and Gripping Tribute to Her Grandfather". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  13. ^ "Building a house and 'Building a Bridge'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  14. ^ "'What We Leave Behind' Was the Surprise Masterpiece of SXSW". Texas Monthly. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  15. ^ "SXSW Film Review What We Leave Behind, Love and dedication transcend all in granddaughter's portrait". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "'What We Leave Behind' is a Beautiful Understated Migration Story". Texas Observer. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  17. ^ ""There Were No Easy Answers to My Questions": Iliana Sosa on Her SXSW-Debuting Doc What We Leave Behind". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  18. ^ "5 movies to see at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  19. ^ "'What We Leave Behind' Review: A Father's Final Project". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2022.