I Dream in Another Language

It is a must see for any person interested in native roots. As Mexican I cannot describe the power of this piece of our roots. Obviously made from the soul. It is magical realism at its finest.

Nearly every aspect of this work-of-art is perfectly complemented. Lost language and love, dying and the persistence of opportunity slipping away-so poetic and enchanting. Many movies strain for the type of majesty "Sueño en otro idioma" accomplishes seemingly effortlessly, but only one or two a year ever surface into mainstream society.

Bravo to Ernesto Contreras, cast and crew.

So happy we found this. The scenery was beautiful right from the start. The acting was flawless. The storyline timeless. Subtitles are needed for those of us that don't speak Spanish. Without giving away any spoilers, it's a story of love, commitment, social and personal evolvement, and universal spirituality.

A special film. Each other word seems does not work. Two old men, a village, a young man , a language. And two love stories. A silence across decades. And the past as answer and question. It is difficult to define it because you see only an aspect. The entire portrait, the delicacy of links between facts, the bitter and harsh details are easy to ignore. Because it is a film about roots. Deep roots, from language to fairy tales and myths to secrets defining a strange, forbidden love story. A film about a dying universe. About reconciliation. Admirable for plot, landscapes and beautiful performances, a seed film , growing each day after I saw it almost like memory. A film about roots.

The Mexican film Sueño en otro idioma was shown in the U.S. with the translated title I Dream in Another Language (2017). It was directed by Ernesto Contreras.

This is a fascinating movie, based on a plausible situation. An indigenous language--Zikril--

is vanishing. When the movie begins, there are only three people who can still speak Zikril. Soon, there are just two. A young linguist, Martín (played by Fernando Álvarez Rebeil), wants to preserve the language. The problem is that the two men who can speak Zikril hate each other. José Manuel Ponce plays Isauro, and Eligio Meléndez portrays Evaristo. By amazing good fortune--for Martín--the most beautiful woman in Mexico, Lluvia (Fátima Molina) is the granddaughter of one of the men.

The plot of the film revolves around Martín's attempts to bring the two men together so they can have a conversation in Zikril. That will allow Martín to record them and save the language for future generations. Of course, bringing them together means unraveling the reason that they are apart. Naturally, the reason isn't anything simple. It's a complex set of events that have remained buried until Martín arrives.

We saw this fascinating film at Rochester's great Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum. It was shown as part of ImageOut, the wonderful Rochester LGBT Film Festival. Unfortunately, this movie is best seen in a theater. The vegetation in the rain forest in which the film is set is astounding. However, even if you lose that aspect of the film, the basic story line will compensate for this. I recommend that you find this movie and watch it.