Mala Mala
The Criterion Channel, the independent streaming service featuring an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary films from Hollywood and around the world, has announced the streaming of two early documentary from Puerto Rican director Antonio Santini and director-actor Dan Sickles: Mala Mala (2014), winner of the Cinema Tropical Award for Best U.S. Latinx Film, and Dina (2017), which will be to stream starting May 10.
Winner of Sundance’s Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Dina (2007) is an empathetic portrait of a loving relationship is a triumph of humanist filmmaking. Dina is an outspoken, neurodivergent woman living outside Philadelphia whose enthusiasm for life—and unwavering belief in love—is infectious. As she prepares to take the next step in her relationship with Scott—a comparatively sheltered Walmart greeter diagnosed with Asperger’s—the two must navigate the unique challenges that intimacy and communication pose for them. Capturing moments of tenderness, humor, and aching hurt, Dina is a love story as unique and unforgettable as the woman at its center.
In a celebration of the trans community of Puerto Rico, the fissure between internal and external is an ever-present battle. Mala Mala captures the triumphant highs and devastating lows in the fight for personal and community acceptance in the oldest colony in the world. Shot over the course of three years, the film unfolds through intimate moments, performances, friendships, and the activism of trans-identifying people, drag queens, and others who defy gender norms in Puerto Rico. Featuring Ivana, an activist fighting for anti-discrimination bill on the island; Soraya, an older gender-affirming surgery pioneer; Sandy, a sex worker confronting the impact of aging on her source of income; and Samantha and Paxx, both of whom struggle with the quality of medical resources available to assist in their transitions, Mala Mala sensitively and compassionately affirms that the quest to find oneself can be both difficult and beautiful. Through riveting cinematography that encapsulates the vivacious personalities of the protagonists, as well as their frequently dark personal experiences, the film dynamically presents the passion and hardships reflective of this human experience.
