Directed by Gabriella A. Moses

Dominican Republic | 2023 | 97 min | English and Spanish with English subtitles

Tuesday, October 29^th at 7:30pm – Koubek Center

Short: In this inspiring Dominican coming-of-age film one young girl’s song gives voice to the unspoken dreams of the women and outsiders in a traditional seaside village.

Long: Twelve year-old Desi struggles to navigate a traditional culture in which familial devotion and tight-knit community coexist uneasily alongside darker customs of sexual objectification and gendered servitude. Though her destiny appears preordained, a serendipitous rendezvous with a group of young street rappers proves much is left unwritten. As she tests her mettle in lyrical battles, Desi’s revelatory stream-of-consciousness flow gives voice to her unspoken dreams and builds her self-confidence, sending ripples of change throughout her family and community.

This inspiring, thought-provoking Dominican coming-of-age feature—which won the Tribeca Film Festival Nora Ephron Award—serves as a powerful reminder that, if infused with the right melody and cadence, words can be spells — incantations that empower us to transcend the restrictive roles assigned us and authentically self-actualize.