Victor and Isolina

After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go.

Still proudly flaunting its progressive values, a young independent nation prepares to celebrate an all-purpose holiday called The Sovereign. Despite the declared moral superiority, the little nation is rife with inequality, apathy and a strengthening authoritarian framework. For the 24-hour holiday, citizens are encouraged to share their blessings with the less fortunate.

Exploring the director’s father’s chronic health problems, as a diabetic with kidney failure, and his mother’s role as his eternal caretaker, Chilly and Milly is a combination of 3D-modeled/composited characters, with cinéma vérité scenes from an autobiographical documentary shot over 13 years ago.