Nosotros

When Romero (Jozef Coxaj), a thirtysomething man from rural Guatemala, leaves his Indigenous wife and young child behind in their remote village, he promises them he will return just as soon as he’s earned enough money to ease their economic struggles. Moving to the city to work as a security guard, he finds himself facing estrangement, loneliness, and the performative macho milieu that surrounds him in this unfamiliar environment. His journey is further complicated when he falls fast and hard for Nubia (Lola Vásquez), a transgender small business owner with a shop in the mall he patrols.

In his feature directorial debut, director Joaquín Ruano carefully deploys a cinematic language of nuance, restraint, and clarity. As Romero and Nubia’s developing relationship blooms in the midst of perils and tensions, Ruano quietly opens new ways to witness this unexpected intimacy. Romero finds refuge where he least expected — and even without knowing he was desperately searching for it — and discovers an affection that is as fragile as it is tender. Inside the safe space Nubia creates for both of them, Romero finds a version of himself he wasn’t aware had previously existed. The harsh world around them may never truly leave them alone.

DIANA CADAVID

Content advisory: homophobic and transphobic language, explicit sex scenes, bullying, course language, mature themes