Oca

Synopsis

In a remote, crumbling convent, young nun Rafaela has recurring, seemingly prophetic dreams. When rumor of a new archbishop in a nearby town reaches the small congregation, Rafaela is sent to find him with the mission of securing funds to save the convent and to ask for guidance regarding one particular mysterious dream that haunts her. Her journey finds her lost in a beautiful and perplexing landscape, guided only by her wavering faith. It is on this road, seemingly to nowhere, that her path intersects with other pilgrims and wayward souls who all seek the archbishop—and whose often questionable motivations unwittingly shape the course of Rafaela’s journey.

Director Karla Badillo’s home region—the sweeping, sparse landscape of San Luis Potosí—is a labyrinth for the spiritually adrift in their surreal, fraught pilgrimages. Oca, named for an ancient board game inspired by the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, is a contemplation on one’s journey through faith and its many detours on the shifting winds of destiny.