Entre Nos

Taking inspiration from Paola Mendoza's childhood, co-directors Mendoza and Gloria La Morte present an immigrant drama about a single mother forced to make do under trying circumstances. Recently arrived from Colombia, Mariana (Mendoza, playing her own mother) has been living in Queens for a matter of weeks when her husband announces that he'll be working in Miami for the next few months, leaving her to fend for their two children alone. When she later finds out from a family friend that her husband doesn't intend to return, she starts selling empanadas and collecting items for recycling, but can't earn enough money to pay the rent. Before long, the family loses their apartment, and they sleep in parks and fleabag motels until Mari secures a room. Despite the grim reality of their situation, Mari works together with her kids, 10-year-old Gabi (Sebastian Villada Lopez) and 6-year-old Andrea (Laura Montana Cortez), to earn money (Gabi's English skills prove particularly helpful), and ultimately finds a way to provide for her family by putting the skills she's learned to good use. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)