Simón

Gut wrenching. Just so devastating; I may not be Venezuelan, but I related all the same. My family being from Cuba, to see the struggle between choosing to start over versus sticking together, to see the heavy grief and guilt over who and what gets left behind when you have to save yourself, portrayed so realistically just broke my heart. Simón represents the story of nearly everybody in my life- the heartbeat and foundation of Miami are immigrants, most who are forced to escape their homes and start again. It is my parents story, my friends story, my neighbors story. Although it often seems hopeless, i’ll always hope for the day there is no more need for my loved ones to leave their homes in hopes of something better.  And what an experience, to see my city represented so intimately; I was beyond surprised to even see scenes filmed at my college campus. I felt Miami had been portrayed without the glitz and glamor its usually seen with, which was very refreshing- to see the parts of my city that movies stay away from made me feel happy and seen. Like literally imagine my shock to hear the name Hialeah in a movie.