A Great Trip to a Small Country

Director Mariana Viñoles documents her return from Belgium to Uruguay after five years of absence and tells the story of her father, her two brothers and an intimate friend, all of whom decided to migrate from the country during an economic crisis.

Director Manoela Ziggiatti seeks what inspires and motivates our lives, depicting intimate encounters with her family and close friends to build a delicate narrative about the meaning of being alive.

A woman who moved from the city to the countryside, a small farmer, a successful lawyer, an Italian immigrant, a forest ranger and a student tell us their stories. This film is part of a project called “The Latin Americans”, which is about national identities in countries throughout the continent.

Daniela would like to live far away from here in the future. Here, is a poor part of town in Montevideo, where Daniela lives in a small house with her son, husband, mother, sister and brother-in-law. They are better off than most of the people living in that neighborhood. They all work and the father provides them with whatever they need. He is one of the millions of emigrants from Latin America whose salaries are essential to the survival of their families. The movie carefully approaches Daniela’s world, tells her story, a girl immersed in daydreaming, who is also a down-to-earth mother, beloved daughter and young wife – and about the pain of emigration.

October 2004. Uruguay. After three years away Mariana returns to her country to be reunited with her family and also to vote. After the economic crisis that plunged the country into a terrible depression, Uruguay is on the brink of a real change. We are shown day to day life in Melo, a small provincial city, we are given an intimate insight into a family of militant leftists, and we accompany a Latin American people in the month leading up to a historic political event: the first ever election victory in Uruguay of a party from the political left, the Frente Amplio.

In this musical documentary we are shown a period in the cultural history of Uruguay after the dictatorship ended, told through the story of Tabaré Rivero and his rock group. There are anecdotes from people who took part in that story and archive material, and we are treated to an intimate and amusing reflection about the role of the artist in contemporary society, especially in Latin America.

Mariana Viñoles has positioned her camera in the window. As lockdown puts everything on hold, little everyday dramas continue to play out in her street, as many secret tales waiting to be told. Off-screen, everyday dialogues outline the contours of domestic life. We are invited to prolong their existence, and marvel at the magical power of life.