In Bo Sanders’ short film Caballito de Mar, a young woman finds a wonderful moment of peace after loss.
By the train tracks, three crosses stand in the dirt: one large and two small. Not far from there is a run-down café that used to be a gas station. That’s where Rafaela (Mariana Garcia Montes) is working her shift. She clears off a table while an old man sits in the back sipping his drink. Her coworker Julio (Rafael Da Costa) strolls in late and ties on his apron.
“The coffee she served him sits there untouched, next to a note.”
But this isn’t just another day at work. A regular, Don Mateo (Paulo Costa), wants to know why she’s so down, and the truth comes out. Rafaela’s father just passed away after a long fight. He was a good and honorable man, and she was his caballito de mar, his little seahorse. Instead of grieving, she goes back to work. Then she notices the old man has slipped out after eating. The coffee she served him sits there untouched, next to a note.
In just under seven minutes, filmmaker Bo Sanders sets an earnest, quaint mood that underpins his story of love and loss. His story is about the idea that goodbyes are never really goodbyes. Caballito de Mar moves quickly, and there’s no doubt about the true message of the tale.
For screening information, visit the Caballito de Mar official website.
"…the idea that goodbyes are never really goodbyes."
