Lupe Under the Sun

A dawning sense of mortality and a sudden desire to return to the Mexican homeland he long ago left behind disrupt aging immigrant farmworker Lupe's life. Relationships that he has formed over long years in the United States are made vulnerable by his hopes of reconnecting with his distant family. In this almost documentary-like drama drawn from stories told to writer-director Rodrigo Reyes by his own grandfather, first-time actor Daniel Muratalla delivers an affecting performance that captures Lupe's pathos and stubbornness, his sensitivity and his selfishness. With little dialogue, a muted ambient soundscape, an affecting score, and scenes of extraordinary beauty glimpsed in the agricultural fields and modest dwellings of Central California, Lupe Under the Sun stands as a loving homage from a grandson to his grandfather and a celebration of the sacrifices immigrants make so that their children and grandchildren might have better lives. (Mill Valley Film Festival)