Independent films are usually a hit or miss—but for the most part, they have a lot of heart. And it’s always interesting to see what comes from not having huge budgets. Sometimes, there’s some great creativity that happens. Below are three films I checked out recently.

Moon Heart/El Corazón de la Luna (2022)
Peru’s entry for Academy consideration.

Micaela Cajahuaringa

I’m not going to lie, this film left me very depressed. It deals with so much without any dialog at all. The amount of grief, mental health, homelessness and old age is up front and in your face.

The actress, Haydeé Cáceres is very convincing in this role. Her expressions showed her thoughts and strong emotions. And the cinematography by Micaela Cajahuaringa is wonderful. Her lighting was amazing.

Synopsis: M is alone, almost invisible to society, not an outcast, just old, poor, homeless and ignored. Her only friend is a lone ant. M’s world is full of nostalgic memories and a dark presence that haunts her. Then one day, a “mechanical angel” arrives to help change her life.  

At its core, this is a film about marginalization and the abandonment and mental anguish that homeless people suffer.

Directed by Aldo Salvini. Other cast include Bruno Balbuena, César Chirinos, Mirta Urbina, and Sergio Velasco.

Car 24 (2023)

This crime thriller is not perfect, but it’s entertaining. For the most part, I enjoyed the film. There were two scenes, I could have seen less or not at all. All in all, very impressive for a first time director.

Synopsis: Two hit men who don’t know each other end up trapped in a car for 24 hours parked in a Los Angeles street awaiting orders to kill a target. Both men will undergo a conscience check as well as human existence conflicts.

The film is by first time director, Matias Desiderio (Walter). Who co-wrote, co-produced and co-starred with Salvatore di Costanzo (Toto). Rounding out the cast are Lexy Panterra, Cody Renne Cameron, Tony Panterra, Ciera Foster, Tony Tanelli, and Frank Trenado.

The film was nominated in the “Best Feature Narrative” category for the 25th annual Arpa International Film Festival (Arpa IFF). 

Directed by Matias Desiderio from Film on Vimeo.

Free Dead or Alive (Streaming)

Not a perfect script but it has some good things going for it. Some of the action is good and I found Dyana Ortelli’s part compelling as Teresa, Dragon’s (Seth Michaels) mother. 

Synopsis: A young El Salvadorian woman flees abuse and falls in love with a hard-hearted coyote along a deadly journey through the treacherous Mexican migration route. The film is set along a dangerous trail to the Mexican border, where every migrant is prey to assault, extortion, sexual abuse and murder, perpetrated by a wide range of violent characters. The story captures Eva, a proud knife-wielding heroine born into circumstances of poverty, that force many women into a life of prostitution and abuse. Unwilling to compromise, she will risk it all to be free. Her aspirations for education and a better life fuel a deep hatred for all men, until she meets a skilled coyote named Dragon, the one man who can protect her dream through the journey through hostile lands where the cartels are the law.

Written and directed by Erik Bernard. Starring Edy Ganem, Robert Avellanet, Patricia Velasquez, Alejandro De Hoyos, Al Coronel, Robert LaSardo, Marco-Angela La Porta, Marcus DeAnda, Juan Pablo Olyslager, Thomas Hennessy, Christiana Leucas, and Anna Carvalho.