
Young girl from the Dominican slums, parents drug addicts; she dreams about living somewhere else. She becomes the leader of a criminal gang; bullied for being a woman they consider transgender; Mario, a drug dealer, tries to force her to work for him. When he wins her confidence, leaves her pregnant and steals her loot, things change very quickly for Rafaela. Betrayed, she'll do whatever it takes to get revenge, avoid the police and get away before her baby is born.
It’s the most loving tribute to cinema and to Ingmar Bergman, set in world that feels so habitable that I felt like only re-watching this for eternity, because of how inviting it looks and feels.
The one-way journey went to the desert that refused to offer an answer or a transcendence.
The most impressive aspect of this film is the honest and natural performances given by the on-screen duo.
While it is more than established that Halston’s life is far from a fairytale, the narrative suffers as a result of the decision to revolve more around sex and drugs than his artistry, it likely does a disservice to his cultural impact by pulling focus from his achievements.
Where is Lilo's face? Disney marketing sends a chilling signal: that even in 2025, an alien is more palatable and marketable than a brown girl.