What We Leave Behind

As "What We Leave Behind" (2022 release; 71 min) opens, we hear a voice-over (which turns out to be the director) talking to an old guy (turns out to be her grandpa), as he gets ready to take the bus back to Mexico. Due to his poor health, the bus company won't allow him to gravel by himself, so his granddaughter (the director) accompanies him. They arrive in San Juan Del Rio, in rural Central Mexico, and we get to know other family members. At this point we are less than 10 min into the documetnary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest film from wireter-producer-director Iliana Sosa, who has a long track record focusing on cross-border immigration issues ("Detained In the Desert", "Building the American Dream"). Here she goes very personal, focusing on her ailing grandpa who first started coming into the US in the mid-1960's. Sosa doesn't rush anything, and lets the old man do much of the talking, as he reflects on a life (almost) gone by, his erstwhile hopes and fears, and what he hopes to leave behind. The documentary observes the day-to-day, mostly slow life in rural Mexico along the way. For many of us (or certainly for me) it feels like a different universe altogether, while realizing that these are decent people, making the best of a hard life they've been given. There are no "political" statements in this documentary, which is just as well as the tales we hear from the old man and his family provide all the context we need.

"What We Leave Behind" premiered on Netflix several weeks ago and I finally got around to watching it last night. So glad I did. If you are in the mood for a deeply personal and moving "human" story that happens to involve cross-border immigration between the US and Mexico, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

What we Leave Behind was well-received at its world premiere at Austin SXSW Film Festival. It is a beautiful intimate portrait by a granddaughter, Iliana Sosa, of her elderly grandfather. But it is more. It is an examination of man aging with dignity in a third world country far away from most of his family. He builds a house so that his family will have a place to come home to. Even more it is a film about migration as his children have migrated away from his home in rural Mexico to the United States and as he seeks to remain connected to them even though they have departed and made new lives for themselves far from his home. He provides a link and a bridge to where they came from and what they have lost as they have moved on to what they clearly believe to be a better place. The film is fascinating, personal and thought-provoking and tries to go below the surface of the issue of immigration along the U. S.- Mexico and find the human side of what has so often become a contentious hot button political issue.

In a tribute to her abuelo, iliana sosa presents us with the story of their lives over the years. Grandfather has been coming up to the states for fifteen years to visit. But he says "I just watch tv here, so I go back home", which is san juan del rio. There, he's building a house for his other son next to the house he's already planning to leave one son. Sosa pretty much lets grandad tell his own story. A plain, simple life. "I've never been scared of hard work." repeated scenes of the beautiful sunset... from somewhere, one assumes, at grandad's home. From friends, i've heard similar stories of history and respect for the (hardworking) parents and grandparents, still in mexico. Sadness, as they get older. Currently, there's no cast list, so we're not really sure who is who. Hopefully the cast list will be updated. Directed by sosa. Written by sosa and isadore bethel. This is listed as a documentary, so one assumes it's a true story. It's totally predictable, but a good watch.