‘Esta Isla (This Island)' Review – A Patient Snapshot Of The Grounding Nature Of Family
If you allow them to be, films can be a doorway. They can invite you into places, lives, and experiences that you can never dream of even being possible. This is true of all of the films we see, but it is especially so when diving into the world of cinema not in your first language. It immediately forces you into another universe of language, lifestyles, and culture foreign to your own. And oddly, it will also encourage you to find the connection and similarity to your own world.
In Esta Isla, set in Puerto Rico, we are introduced to brothers Bebo (Zion Ortiz) and Charlie (Xavier Morales) as they attempt to make their way in a difficult world. We learn later that their parents are no longer present, and they have been raised by their grandmother. There is great love in this family, but love certainly does not pay the bills. Charlie and Bebo do a variety of things to pay their way. They are fishermen, they have various side hustles, and Charlie has worked in less-than-legal dealings with a local gangster, Moreno (Audicio Robles), previously. This relationship, strained and leading to possible violence, ends up linking Bebo and Moreno. Bebo, doing a small job selling drugs at a club, meets Lola (Fabiola Brown), a girl from a higher class.
Through plot machinations I will not go into, Lola and Bebo go on the run, both leaving their families behind. This allows the film to really hit its stride, ironically as it slows down. Directors Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero guide us on a journey into the heart of Puerto Rico, completely defying any expectations that we might have as an outsider. Unlike many places in our world, there is a sense of discovery that happens here, aided by expert framing from cinematographer Cedric Cheung-Lau, which leads us on a path that could not have been predicted.
If Esta Isla has faults, it is that it attempts to cover too much ground when there are opportunities for great depth that are missed. The film has numerous plot threads that are all almost incredible, but because they are stretched, none of them completely hit the bullseye. The relationship between younger brother, Bebo, and older sibling, Charlie, is beautiful to behold. Both of these young actors feel deeply genuine and feel as if they have a complete past together. So much so that one wishes that we got to experience the years that the film glosses over.
Similarly, the film jumps the gun slightly with the romance between Lola and Bebo. It is understandable that they link together so quickly. They are both young, good-looking, and figuring themselves out. But after the inciting event occurred, I found myself wanting more details of their relationship and why she would agree to travel with him. There is some detail revealed later in a stunningly acted moment from Brown, but there is definitely more meat on the bone that could be explored.
But none of this means that the film is not intensely watchable. Despite a languid pace, almost in the middle of a chase scene, it always feels like we should keep leaning forward to experience this world. All of the characters seem real in a way that we rarely see in mainstream cinema. There are no pure heroes on display; they all have moments in which they react too strongly, but they also have episodes in which they just sit and listen. The slowness of these moments is what makes Esta Isla a world worth visiting.
No matter what mistakes they make, family is everything. And sometimes, even if we want to leave a place, family is what holds us, grounds us, and connects us. Bebo, Charlie, Lola, and even Moreno all represent this to a certain degree. Even when our birth families fail us, sometimes the land that we are on is enough. The island has a strange way of connecting and protecting its people. Nothing is perfect, but that can never be expected. Instead, we look for just enough care and beauty to sustain us.
Esta Isla held its World Premiere as a part of the U.S. Narrative Competition section of the 2025 Tribeca Festival.
Directors: Lorraine Jones Molina, Cristian Carretero
Screenwriters: Lorraine Jones Molina, Cristian Carretero, Kisha Tikina Burgos
Rated: NR
Runtime: 114m
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