A young undocumented Guatemalan woman dreams of joining a Country Club swim team in the American South.

In Gabriela, director Evelyn Lorena presents a beautifully intimate coming-of-age story centered on a young undocumented Guatemalan woman pursuing her dream of joining a prestigious Country Club swim team in the American South. Set in the summer after high school, Gabriela’s journey captures the delicate balance between self-discovery and the weight of her family’s expectations. Her pursuit of a seemingly simple ambition is complicated by the socio-economic and legal hurdles she faces, as well as the internalized doubts born from navigating an often unforgiving cultural landscape.

With visually captivating scenes that underscore the transformative power of water, Gabriela is a poetic reflection on identity and resilience. Lorena’s film explores the universal yearning for freedom and self-acceptance, making Gabriela’s story resonate deeply. A recipient of the Netflix and Latino Film Institute’s Indigenous Latino Fellowship, this short promises a deeply personal, visually striking experience that honors the nuances of immigration and young adulthood.

The film explores Gabriela’s identity as both an undocumented immigrant and a determined young woman in the American South. How did you approach balancing these two aspects of her character?

Part of that exploration had to do with myself. Like Gabriela, I grew up straddling two worlds, cultures, mindsets … and I found myself trying to constantly reconcile them especially when they conflicted. I thought I was alone in that endeavor, but I actually think humans in general find themselves constantly trying to reconcile varying points of view. So when I saw how universal this struggle was, it was helpful in crafting the story in a more accessible way. I also didn’t want to focus on the “undocumented” part in a trite or traumatic way, the way I’ve seen it portrayed. I wanted it to feel more so like another obstacle to her self-agency and feeling of restriction. I think that way, in the vein of staying universal, it also made the story more accessible I hope. Personally, coming from two worlds also taught me the skill of being able to find common ground quickly between disparate ideas or concepts, and that helped me to find more of a universality in her story. I think the more and more I dove into her journey, I found that this search for identity, or coming into confidence is something we all desire or search for.

Swimming and water are central symbols in the film. How does Gabriela’s journey toward joining the Country Club swim team reflect her personal growth and desire for freedom?

The water for me is a spiritual conductor; it’s the force that has the ability to reconnect Gabriela to her essence. I think once a person has a sense of self-acceptance, and can move forward with confidence, they are also accepting and embracing the culture that molded them or came before them — something Gabriela had trouble accepting early on in the film. I feel water and swimming really grants her the freedom to see all of that, even if in her mind. At the beginning, I think she thinks joining the Club will mean something: something about her worthiness that she’s made it, that she is part of the “group” and not an outlier. I think she has this expectation that it’s going to grant her something or make her something more than she is, rather than just appreciating herself as she is and moving from that space of confidence. On some level, she is insecure that she is enough. By the end, beautifully, she begins to let some of that go and begins to the journey to embracing herself. When she looks in the mirror a second time, she doesn’t have distain, but rather a soft smile. I think that speaks volumes as to where she is going to go in her future journey. To me, thats the true freedom: confidence to create your own path and validation regardless of what others think or feel. That’s powerful when society is constantly trying to mold you into a certain way of being. Gabriela is empowering herself over the structures that surround her and I’d like the audience on some level to understand then that we don’t need to “fit in” or change ourselves or be any kind of way to have value. That’s freedom! That’s all the American Dream: to be free.

Gabriela’s relationship with her overprotective mother adds a layer of complexity to her story. How did you develop this dynamic, and what do you hope audiences take away from their relationship?

Every mother and daughter relationship is complicated. Even the ones that feel easy. They have layers. The challenging part was infusing and distilling that layered existence in the few short scenes they have together. I tried to find inspiration from so many different mother-daughter relationships, whether it was my own, or from my favorite films … and I tried to layer that into the script. I wanted to keep Alma at the forefront and while she was her own character, she also embodied and represented culture for Gabriela. Gabriela reconciling with her was Gabriela reconciling with her culture and her past. (I think we all have a little bit of that reconciling moment with our parents, in some form or another.) But really, the thing I think that just made everything magic was Maria Telon. She’s been doing theater and indigenous theater all her life in Guatemala and has such a natural depth and wisdom to her that came out naturally. I feel like having that and our natural chemistry really helped portray what we wanted to portray.

Visually, the film captures the Southern setting while highlighting Gabriela’s inner struggles. How did you use the visual style and setting to enhance the themes of identity and resilience?

One of the things that was really important to me was stillness in the cinematography. I thought we could frame things like a painting or snapshot (which is kind of what the film was to me) and then incorporate a lot of stillness so that we are focusing on what’s in the frame, and what the character is thinking and feeling. Trying to capture the inner life was paramount in that regard. I also think stillness really worked on the concept of her feeling restricted and not being able to “move” in her environment. A lot of the Southern setting also needed to be captured in a way that felt like it was encroaching on her, but also needed to feel far away because she couldn’t access it. It was a delicate thing trying to capture that dichotomy but I think Xenia, our cinematographer, really responded to the story and had a really innate understanding of how to do that. I also think the water sequences played such a crucial role in relaying the sense of freedom for Gabriela; we wanted to control the elements on those scenes and so we shot them dry-for-wet then digitally composited it in post. I feel like we were able to create something that was more specific that way. Overall, I wanted the lyrical feeling to feel like you were there as part of her life, as it unfolds, versus having a really strict linear structure. I also think that was a helpful visual style in relaying the more abstract concepts of identity and self-acceptance. A lot of the cinematography was also styled in a way that reflected her humble means. I didn’t want something overly crisp or “digital
looking” but rather something a little more grassroots feeling. That felt important in honoring the story and authenticity of her journey. By the end, the shots get a little more grandiose and that’s purposeful to reflect her sense of inner freedom.

Gabriela’s self-worth and personal struggles are key elements in the film. What inspired you to explore these themes, and how do they relate to the broader narrative of finding one’s place in society?

I think I’ve always been drawn as a person to themes of identity. Most likely because of my own journey through that. I think some people dismiss those themes as less important, which I understand, but I also think the exploration of identity is an important and archetypal one. Discovering (or re-discovering) your truth and identity is everything. It’s the foundation of how you move forward in the world. The theme of self-acceptance in creating Gabriela’s identity is what I think will help her carve out her own path, regardless of what anyone else thinks, or at least try to. I find that very powerful and empowering. Like all of us, Gabriela’s trying to find her place and find acceptance. Overall, I think film is a great art form and space to explore those more abstract themes. I know themes of identity in film have moved me greatly and have often helped expand my own empathy and perspective.

Water is often seen as a metaphor for liberation in coming-of-age stories. How did you weave this motif into Gabriela’s emotional journey?

I was drawn to a singular force that had a god-like power, without overtly bringing in the literal concept of God. I feel like that concept means so many different things to people and I certainly didn’t want that to distract from the narrative. It was more important to put in a force or something powerful that could connect to Gabriela in a way that was profound and inspire freedom. From that feeling of freedom, she could eventually begin to feel free enough to see beyond her own limitations and even come to appreciate herself. It’s almost like the water creates the space and Gabriela fills it, if that makes sense. Part of me also liked the idea of the water because it communicates something visceral, without words to Gabriela and the audience watching.

The coming-of-age genre allows for intimate character exploration. What unique perspective do you hope Gabriela brings to this genre, especially with the added layer of her immigrant experience?

My hope since the beginning was to tell a story of the immigrant experience in a poetic way regarding their inner life. Up until this point the stories I’d seen about the immigrant experience weren’t necessarily about their inner life or existential struggles, but more so about trauma or the literal narrative of crossing the border into the United States. While that can be a real part of the immigrant experience, it felt disingenuous sometimes because in everyday life a person is not necessarily wearing those specific events on themselves openly. One does however live with the psychological repercussions of those things, the existential questions that come after that, etc.. etc … and those inner workings and conflicts were far more interesting to me, even more so in a younger person’s narrative. Young people carry deep complication and nuance as well. Those stories (both young and Latino) are just as universal.

What was the most challenging aspect of bringing Gabriela’s story to life, and what do you hope resonates most with audiences as they watch her pursue her dream?

It’s interesting that crafting the water scenes become the difficult part, meanwhile it was the vehicle for freedom in the film. There’s something poetic there … It was difficult because we weren’t sure how the final result would look. We had to get resourceful with our soundstage to mimic how gravity operates in the water. You’re hoping it will all come together in the end. Luckily, the camera team and stunt team were just excellent. But for me, hanging from the rafters was a new experience, haha. I think dealing with the health challenges I faced on the film on top of doing my own stunts just required a lot of focus from everybody. But we did it! And like Gabriela, we were able to find what we needed to move forward. I guess for audiences that translates to: keep searching, keep working and stay resilient until you find what you’re looking for. Sometimes, like in the story, it all isn’t so obvious and life becomes something you just understand with experience.

What are the books, podcasts or even YouTube Channel that you recommend young filmmakers to get their hands on?

Hmm. I suppose I’d encourage any filmmaker to read Stella Adler’s book Art of Acting. Not because they’re going to act, but because it’s such an artists book. She discusses acting with such passion and specificity that I think it would help any director with their actors, but also to reinvigorate them. I come from Stella Adler acting world and I just love it and it’s inspired me as an actor and filmmaker greatly. I’d also just recommend to watch every film you can, read every book you can, and just absorb all of it.
Absorb your life the same way.

Finally, what are your favorite short films?

I love Invincible by Vincent René Lortie (Watch on FS) and Earthworm by Phillip Baker from the last year. I’ve been on a real Canadian filmmaker kick lately. I also really love the shorts that came out of our fellowship program as well — Somos de Aqui (by Ely Aquino), Heritage (by Sebastian Rea), Bodies Will Tumble & Roll (by Eli Vasquez), Daughter of the Sea (by Alexis Garcia) … all of these should be online somewhere!