Memories of the Future

A deeply human portrait of the chaotic reality of the US - Mexico border. Full of stunnig images and crafted like a classic city-symphony where the sum of the pieces add up to a larger whole, Purgatorio, a Journey Into the Heart of the Border brings together a universe of small stories to create a compelling and visceral cinematic experience that takes audiences into the very soul of life on the border.

A large immigration raid in a small Tennessee town leaves emotional fallout as well as far-reaching questions about justice, faith and humanity.

Laya is a young professional photographer who has drifted away from her family. Her father has fallen ill, but she hasn’t once come to visit him at the hospital. Her mother, who left their family when Laya was a child, returns to urge Laya to make amends with her father, but Laya’s pain goes deeper than her mother suspects. Laya is sent to the provinces to document a ritual of a disappearing indigenous tribe, and there, she inadvertently comes face to face with her own demons as she observes the relationships of the last remaining members of this dying culture.

The story of an aging Mexican migrant who spent his entire life working in the California fields, separated from his family back home. A melancholy alcoholic, one morning he realizes life has rolled past him and he has nothing to show for it. Lupe embarks on existential journey, trying to come to terms with his choices and reconnect with what he left behind.

Upon the 500-year anniversary of the Spanish Conquest, a ghostly Conquistador arrives in modern Mexico. As he journeys toward the capital city, he remembers events from his past while encountering the testimonies of real people, the survivors of contemporary violence. History and the present begin to merge, giving nightmarish reflection on the enduring legacy of colonialism in our world today.

A decade after the murder of her daughter Fátima at the age of 12, the victim of a brutal femicide, Lorena Gutiérrez takes a stand outside the National Palace to demand a meeting with Mexico’s first woman President.

A short story of a man who accidentally loses his cellphone and is found by a person that will not return it and is unaware of the damage he could cause.

Borders have defined Sansón’s life. There’s the physical and psychological border between Mexico and the US. And now, looking at a life behind bars, there’s the one that separates him from his loved ones. Since it is forbidden to film inside the jail, Reyes recreates Sansón’s life – with the help of his family – through letters and by casting an untrained actor to play his friend. The resulting film is a reflection on migration, the notion of family, what it means to see one’s life on film, and the harshness and injustice of the US prison system.

The separation of families on the US/Mexico border is profoundly depicted as a young girl dreams of being reunited with her grandmother.