What We Leave Behind

Shot over several years in the style of cinema verité, the story centers around a portrait of Julian, the filmmaker’s grandfather, who at the age of 89 takes one last bus ride to El Paso, Texas to visit his daughters – a long trip he's made without fail every month for decades. After returning to rural Mexico, he quietly starts building a house in the empty lot next to his home. In the absence of his physical visits, can this new house bridge the distance between his loved ones? A beautiful intimate examination and a love letter to a man who is aging with dignity, returning (like a monarch butterfly) to the family light with unwavering commitment. A testament to human resilience in the face of terrible obstacles, regardless of the borders that divide us and the intergenerational trauma of immigration.