In Fernanda Alberdi’s Where Roots Are Born, a young woman and her grandmother share an afternoon making arroz con leche — and somewhere between the rice and the milk, confessions are made and tough questions answered.
This afternoon, Aranza (Joanna Wilson) is with her Abuelita Mago (Marypaz Aparicio) to learn how to make Mago’s famous arroz con leche. Aranza has gathered all the ingredients, and Mago is there to bring the love.
While working through the recipe, Mago talks about all the things she could have done with her long life, but chose to raise a family. Aranza pushes back and wonders why Mago chose to stay with her sometimes abusive Abuelo. He was very mean and dismissive in his speech, and Aranza feels the weight of every word. Mago simply says she loved him… but that is not good enough.
“…a young woman and her grandmother share an afternoon making arroz con leche — and somewhere between the rice and the milk, confessions are made and tough questions answered.”
Where Roots Are Born is an emotional conversation between Aranza and Mago, as this is probably the first time Aranza has felt free to talk about her Abuelo and the trauma and anxiety that developed from her tumultuous relationship with him. The conversation also turns into a dream for one’s life and the expectations of family members. In other words, what fulfills you in life, and why aren’t you married?
As a film, Where Roots Are Born is a conversation over cooking a meal. Writer/director Alberdi stages the conversation perfectly to accentuate the performances of both Joanna Wilson and Marypaz Aparicio. Alberdi also captures the right tone, guiding Wilson through the perfect level of Aranza’s anxiety. It would be easy to play Aranza’s anxiety broadly, but Wilson’s restraint is worth it.
In the end, Where Roots Are Born is a story of love between a young woman and her Abuelita. It is a bond that can withstand any hardship and always ends in a warm embrace.
For more information, visit the Where Roots Are Born official Instagram page.
"…a bond that can withstand any hardship and always ends in a warm embrace."
