On Sept. 26, the Trinity University Spanish Film Festival continued its two-month run with a screening of “Boca Chica,” a coming-of-age drama set in the Dominican Republic. The festival, organized by Assistant Professor of Spanish Mónica Ocasio Vega, is part of PRAGDA’s international “Spanish Film Club” series.
The inaugural festival features seven films chosen by Ocasio Vega to showcase the diversity of Spanish-speaking cultures across Latin America and Spain.
“Boca Chica,” Gabriella Moses’s directorial debut, follows twelve-year-old Desi (Scarlet Camilo) as she navigates complex family dynamics and the looming pressures of womanhood while pursuing her passion for music.
Julianna Hildebrand, sophomore religion and sociology double-major, attended the screening at the recommendation of her Spanish professor, Juan Daniel Guarín. While she noted the film’s quiet pacing and lack of action scenes, Hildebrand said she was deeply moved by Moses’s subtle storytelling.
Hildebrand said that through Desi’s plight, the film revealed the forces at work within the community of Boca Chica that pressure girls to grow up too early and normalize exploitation.
“I haven’t been subject to that kind of treatment, so it was striking to me. I knew that [trafficking] existed, but it was remarkable,” Hildebrand said. “It opened my eyes to see it exist, and at such a young age.”
In the film’s final scenes, Desi chooses to leave Boca Chica to avoid falling victim to dangerous social expectations and pursue her singing career. Hildebrand said that despite the film’s heavy themes, this choice makes “Boca Chica’s” message a positive one.
“Yes, it was a sad ending, but it was also very promising and hopeful for [Desi],” Hildebrand said. “She seemed really strong by making that decision to leave. She was so young, and she already knew what she wanted.”
The Spanish Film Festival continues this Wednesday with a screening of Alejandro Landes’s most recent film, “Monos.”
*This is an ongoing story. Check back on Oct. 10 for more coverage.
