Mauro Borges

She wakes up slowly, confused between the caress of her husband and the sound of the radio. A moment later she gets up, tidies up the house, takes a bath, has breakfast, and leaves for work. In the afternoon she returns, prepares dinner and wakes up her husband. He helps her with some chores, takes a bath, eats and goes out to work. The story is too common. Like them, thousands of couples cross and estrange away, day after day.

This beautifully integrated, multi-threaded narrative seamlessly interweaves six stories set in radically different locations across Central America, ranging from the tropical forests of Guatemala to the skyscrapers of Panama City. When a solar storm leaves the region without power, myriad dramas unfold over the course of five days during which all conveniences of modernity are stripped away. In Costa Rica, a pastor and his daughter worry for the future of their church, while in El Salvador, a grandmother and grandson make an arduous journey into the city. A husband and wife reconnect in Honduras, as a young couple nurses a mysterious stranger back to health in Guatemala. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua, a young woman prepares for her quinceañera and in Panama, a housekeeper grows exasperated with her demanding employer.

As a soccer star back in the day, Eugenio used to be known as “The Gazelle” for his speed and dexterity in the field. He retired young, unable to score a trophy. Now 72 and living in a retirement home, Eugenio is determined to win a dance contest with the help of his partner Carmen and his openly gay instructor Daniel.