WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND
A film by Iliana Sosa
(Mexico/USA, 2022, 71 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)

After a lifetime of bus rides to the U.S. to visit his children, Julián quietly starts building a house in rural Mexico. In filming his work, his granddaughter crafts a personal and poetic love letter to him and his homeland.

At the age of 89, Julián takes one last bus ride to El Paso, Texas to visit his daughters and their children-a lengthy trip he has made without fail every month for decades. After returning to rural Mexico, he quietly starts building a house in the empty lot next to his home. In the absence of his physical visits, can this new house bridge the distance between his loved ones?

Over several years, director Iliana Sosa films her grandfather's work, gently sifting through Julián's previously unspoken memories brought up by the construction project and revealing both the daily pragmatism and poetry of his life. What We Leave Behind unfolds as a love letter to Sosa's grandfather, and serves as an intimate and insightful exploration of her relationship with him and his homeland.

LALIFF Screenings:
In Person: Sunday, June 5, 4:30pm at the TCL Chinese Theaters, Los Angeles, CA
Online: Sunday, June 5, all day (only available in California).

Watch the trailer: