By 
By Roger Costa
DE LO MIO
From the rooftop of their late grandmother’s home in Santiago, Dominican Republic, two sisters contemplate the surroundings, as a first step for a bitter farewell. The sounds, the trees, the shades of sun, each detail reveals some of their affection, emotion and reaction to that sacred place, and everything it represents. Memories of childhood, the cycle of life, the changes and challenges, the trauma, and the future- all of them fascinate and haunt these young women’s life-changing journey as they seek to rescue and save as much memories possible, keeping their essence and heritage, alive.
Arriving from New York, where they live and were raised, the two sisters get back home as a request from their brother, who’s finalizing the property’s sale deal. The unprepared reunion of these estranged siblings result in a personal analysis of ego, family values, capitalism, and the importance of traditions. There are conflicts to be solved among them, secrets from the past merging, and the need of re-organizing their habits and communion; the sisters live afar, going on with their individual personal lives, and besides having a brother, the only thing that could keep them connected to their homeland is the house.
All of them feel an enormous need of keeping and preserving the place, but none are willing to fully take responsibility or pay for it. Selling it, feels like a way out of debts and unrequited duties, somehow erasing from their lives, everything they shared there. Losing it, represents letting them go, expressed in the way they clean up the place and pick personal stuff, such as old records, photo albums and documents.
The struggles, separation and the way modern Latin-American families live now is captured through the brother’s reasons, especially when he confesses his distant relationship with his son, and how capitalism functions around the place. The reunion might be a chance for the three of them to get their emotional wounds healed, and re-shape their bond.
First-time writer-director Diana Peralta composes an intriguing drama about memories and traditions centered on the unexpected gathering of three eccentric characters connected by blood and heart. She develops a seductively melancholic and delicate aesthetic observing each character’s inner emotion and different reaction, as they reveal their perspectives. She also subtly comments on the way modern youngsters live now-a-days, their anxieties and expectations. Inclusive, very perceptive and poignant, Peralta scores an impressive directorial debut.
(DE LO MIO is the Official Selection Closing Night Film at BAM CinemaFest 2019. Screens Saturday, June 22. Director Peralta will be in attendance for Q&A.)
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