On the night of his eighth birthday, Pablito mourns the loss of his Amá. But when his Abuela tells him a fairytale about the mystical Bruja Del Mar, he finds unexpected parallels between his own life and her story. Amidst the tale, immigration agents raid his neighborhood, endangering Pablito and Abuela.
With themes of resilience and love, "La Bruja" highlights the transformative power of storytelling, reminding us that even the darkest moments hold the most light.
Director Statement
I remember it being a cold winter night. The moon was full and as bright as can be. “Mijito…” called my aunt Olga. I turned. Her red hair was illuminated by the moonlight. She wrapped a blanket around my shivering body and began, “Once upon a time..." My eyes beamed as she painted worlds out of thin air. She was the kind of storyteller who could lift you into the night sky and you would just soar.
As a little boy, I never thought that someone so special could be ripped away from me. On the morning when I learned that she had passed away, I was suddenly thrust into the harsh reality of grief. I sobbed for days picturing the moment that I saw dirt falling on her casket. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I reckoned with how to protect the magic she had created. That's what inspired La Bruja.
I wrote the film as a love letter to my Aunt Olga's magic and spirit. She made me believe that my imagination could make anything possible and that the stories we tell and the life we live can exist on the same plane. Now here I am painting my own world's out of thin air.
