Marisol

As a Latinx female filmmaker, my main mission with any film I create is to bring life to underrepresented characters in a way that feels authentic, complex, and ultimately helps break away from established stereotypes. When I read the script for MARISOL, it was precisely these same characteristics that struck a chord with me and inspired me to direct this film.

MARISOL centers around an undocumented Latino woman living in NYC. She’s hardworking and focused, but as a single mother, she’s willing to do anything for the well-being of her daughter, even if that means skirting the law and risk revealing the current anonymity of her identity. When tackling the complex subject matter of immigration, especially in the current political climate of this country, authenticity played a key role in the portrayal of Marisol’s character. My goal was to present a real woman, not a statistic or a figure of what often times the media crafts immigrants to look, act, and sound like. Marisol is vulnerable yet strong, disillusioned yet full of hopes and dreams, flawed yet admirable. It is precisely the complexity of her human dichotomy that leads her towards real danger, when all she wanted to do in the first place was care and provide for her daughter - a feeling any parent can relate to, regardless of their nationality, gender, or background. Aside from Marisol’s character, it was equally important to represent all other characters in the film in a well-rounded way as well. They are all key participants of this timely conversation, and hearing their truths, whether we agree with them or not, is essential.

Visually, my approach was mainly about accenting the beauty and the darkness of Marisol’s journey on this specific day. The concept of stepping out of the shadows and anonymity into this bright, colorful day was something I wanted to explore aesthetically. Moreover, depicting different NYC neighborhoods and highlighting the sounds of a big city was important in order to capture those mixed feelings of danger and excitement that Marisol goes through as she drives passengers around. Lastly, music was the instrument that stirred the visuals and the sounds back to the visceral emotions of how love and sacrifice can move any human being to risk everything for their loved ones.

Ultimately, MARISOL is a character-driven film that invites all audience members to either identify themselves with Marisol or at the very least begin to understand her story, a story that oftentimes in the real world we’re quick to judge, dismiss, and forget.