Landi and Mercedes live in Cuba’s Zapata swamp, a biosphere reserve. To feed their sick child, Landi must secretly hunt crocodiles, leaving his wife and son behind for days on end. Amid social unrest and a global pandemic, To the West, in Zapata follows this loving family as they go to extreme lengths to survive, in a constant cycle of reunion and separation.
Al oeste, en Zapata
Cuba / 74 min / 2025 / documentary
Texas Premiere
in Spanish with English subtitles
Direction: David Bim
Cinematography: David Bim
Editing: David Bim
Producers: Wouter Jansen, Lia Rodriguez
Outrageous comedy lives side-by-side with the addiction drama. But the viewer forgets this amongst the ridiculous and ribald series of jokes and situations that make up the world of the characters. And yet the romantic impulse behind Bionico's quest is hard to shake off even if it appears to be set in a world of squalor and pain. Regardless, each day brings a new opportunity, to make something of yourself, to show the world who you are, or to do drugs all day. The mockumentary format makes these contradictions even more explicit. - Jhon Hernandez
