In September of 2017, an earthquake caused massive destruction to San Gregorio Atlapulco, Mexico, and surrounding cities. These communities were not unfamiliar with such wreckage—earthquakes are fairly common in Mexico. This particular event was unique for San Gregorio, however, not only in the scale of its ruination but also in how it catalyzed a movement to preserve and transform the community.
Directed by Melissa Elizondo, Mending the Heart: The Power of Art to Heal the Community chronicles what happens when, after a collective trauma, people bond together through the healing experience of creating art. Children especially experienced post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of the earthquake. Mending the Heart documents a creative workshop that gives them the space they need to talk through their feelings as well as express them through art.
In the workshop, children of all ages create letters, poetry, and paintings as they answer alternating questions about the earthquake and about art. Examples of these questions are, “What is the color of your soul?” and “If you could only save three sounds, which would you choose?” In one exercise, kids get to reclaim their community from the disaster. They are asked, “What has been forgotten about San Gregorio that you would like to rescue?” They then paint their answers on a mural together with their grandparents. Featuring the town’s aquatic animals and beloved individuals, the mural is displayed prominently in their town.
While the style of this short documentary is simple and straightforward, it still packs potent emotions into its half-hour running time. It’s a powerful thing to see so much innocence and insight come from the same mouths, and Mending the Heart compresses these moving sentiments into one cohesive arc of a town’s resilience and unity. Highly recommended for art and foreign language shelves. Aud: E, I, J, H, C, P.