Over the course of several years, the Mexican village of Milpillas has experienced a string of suicides among its young people. The quiet grief of one family after the death of their son, Nando, is punctuated by the sounds and activities of village life. The story of Nando’s last day is told from different perspectives, each account exposing another facet of a community struggling with sorrow and the forces of modernization and globalization. The film’s first and last scenes follow the horses that Nando and his father worked with as caballerangos, or horse wranglers; they are the last creatures to have seen Nando alive. The images of these white horses are haunting and ethereal, conjuring the presence of those who have departed. Throughout its close observation of everyday routine and achingly beautiful long takes, the camera remains at a distance, patient and respectful, while the loss of a traditional way of life comes into sharp focus.  DP

Filmmaker Q&A following screening