Above the Desert with No Name is a short film that begins with the real-world issue of women fleeing into the United States to escape domestic violence in their own country. The story is seen through the eyes of twelve-year old, Silvia, who has already witnessed how sexual violence can shape the world around her. She is joined by her eight-year-old brother, Hector, and her young mother, Maria. After illegally crossing the border the trio end up at a cousin's apartment for safety and hopefully a new start. But soon old patterns begin to emerge around them.  Silvia finds solace sitting alone on the balcony of their apartment building. One day Silvia secretly spies on a neighbor doing strange, poetic movements synchronized with breath-work. Silvia has an incandescent experience watching this Medicine Woman in what she and the audience learn to be a spiritual yoga practice. After mimicking along with the Medicine Woman on several occasions something awakens within Silvia that connects her beyond the limitations of her reality and syncs her with the magic realism of the natural world. The awakening of her divine femininity resonates on full display in the film's dramatic climax. This story at its core is about the intersection of trauma, yoga and mysticism and the profound effect on young girls who find self-realization and have the ability to break familial patterns for their future. It is story of hope.

Director's Statement

Finding a good script that evokes emotion is like finding gold. After my first reading of Above the Desert With No Name, I felt deeply moved. I was stuck by its sense of inspiration and hope. The story is rooted in the brutal reality that so many illegally immigrated Latina women experience. From within this reality, the story shows the experience of enlightenment through the eyes of a 12 year old girl. I knew immediately I had to direct this important story and share it with the world.

Above the Desert With No Name is primarily a movie about a truth seeker, a child in no man's land who finds radiance - or does it find her? Young Silvia is thrust from a troubled past into a troubling future. At the center is a completely apolitical and disoriented antihero searching for love, stability, and self-empowerment.

I want to work as much as possible in the recesses of the plot to observe the characters carefully. The life experiences of the people surrounding our protagonist have caused them to exist in survival mode. They are removed from their divine nature and their connection to their inherent animal spirit in the natural world. But Silvia is still pure and curious and is able to observe divinity and use it as a superpower to avoid repeating a life of misery. She is able to awaken the power of her femininity and break the pattern of abuse for her life going forward. 

During the violent, dramatic scenes of the film, I chose to avoid an invasive camera that would focus on the pain of each situation, allowing it to become a story unto itself. Instead, I had the the camera serve as a compassionate, personal gaze, focusing tightly on Silvia and her emotional journey of awakening; from darkness to light.

Crew