This Island Esta Isla

Bebo, a wayward teenager from a coastal Puerto Rican town, lives with his brother in a public housing complex. They struggle to make ends meet as fishermen, but the promise of easy money from an illegal side hustle has them running up against the local drug dealer. When violence suddenly comes for the brothers, Bebo flees to the mountains with his new love Lola, a wealthy girl seeking escape from her troubled home life. As they navigate the island’s wilderness, attempting to evade their pursuers, they encounter mountain inhabitants who practice a fading pastoral way of life. As the tranquil community welcomes them in, the young couple is confronted with the possibility of reinvention—yet the past is never far behind.

Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero’s feature debut is a timely examination of Puerto Rico’s precarious present through the eyes of its youth, who seek a better future through connection with history and tradition.