When Hector turns back to his village, he hears from his mother, that his dad has passed away and that she prayed for him to come back safe and sound. His wife and son, Darvin, share a house with his mother, who keeps lecturing her daughter in law because she doesn’t sell enough tortillas on the market. The old woman has also given the local pastor all the papers from the notary that prove they own some land.

Hector seems to suffer. He is a stranger in his own home and tries to find a way back in normal life. With Darvin he works on the fields that belong to his family. To earn some money he joins a bamboo harvesting company that exploits poor workers. Soon his back starts soaring and he becomes too slow for the work. At some point he is even held responsible for an accident that hurt one of his co-workers.

To me the big question mark is still why the title «Roza»? Hector came through as a very sensitive character, who can’t cope with his feelings and becomes violent and even criminal because he doesn’t know better. I felt profoundly touched by this protagonist but also by the wife’s distress, who can’t handle her mother in law and the village anymore. There’s a feeling of sadness around those characters and only Hector’s mother, who is very religious, seems to cope with the situation in the community.

This film by Andres Rodriguez is part of the “Open Doors: Screenings” that focuses on Latin America and the Caribbean for the next three years. I highly recommend watching it, if you have any chance to do so!