Two New Documentaries Give Caribbean Stories the Depths They Deserve

Cecilia Aldarondo's film Landfall was reviewed in the New York Times.

To disrupt this formula, “Landfall” assembles vignettes from across Puerto Rico. In the town of Bartolo, locals band together and transform a school into a communal living space, where meals and household goods are distributed among residents after aid fails to appear from the government or charities. Cryptocurrency entrepreneurs from the continental U.S. arrive in Mayagüez in search of profit, given the territory’s status as a tax haven.

“Landfall” doesn’t linger in despondence or the ability to endure. Toward the end, celebratory crowds gather in the streets after the governor’s resignation, spurred by days of protests. Over footage of euphoric demonstrators, a series of pointed voice-overs from Puerto Ricans reverberate: “I feel happy about this victory,” said one. “I’m not ready to celebrate yet,” said another. “I don’t know if we’re in the beginning, or midway through,” reflects a third. It is this multiplicity that allows “Landfall” to excel. Without presenting a straightforward narrative of recovery after Maria, it considers both the unprocessed grief and the sense of relief that so many carry with them.