Antonina Kerguelén’s ¡salsa! It is a tremendous dive into finding connection and understanding with another person. She and her two leads have given us a sensually crafted film that resonates. 

Margarita (Saray Nohemi) is a free-spirited woman searching for her identity despite a judgmental society when her path crosses with Liana (Isabelle Troup), a deaf tourist, at a late-night salsa party. 

Antonina Kerguelén has created two fascinating characters who say little to nothing to one another for the entirety of ¡salsa! Yet, you can’t keep your eyes off them once they begin to interact with one another. We know little about them, and little is explained as the film continues. But thanks to the performances of Nohemi and Troup and Kerguelén’s work as a filmmaker, we feel like we know these strangers. 

We have Margarita, a woman who is judged from all sides, as mentioned. When we first see her, she is alone, but goodness if she is making sure that, thanks to music, she is going to have a good time. It is only when the music stops that she feels the looks bearing down on her from all sides. Her sexuality is clearly something that irks her community, but unable to escape the community, she finds solace elsewhere, for now anyway. 

Then we have Liana, a tourist venturing through the world unable to hear. That doesn’t mean she can’t experience said world and life solely because of her disability. She embraces who she is and goes with it. So, here she is in a late-night sweaty bar, experiencing what she can, the way she knows how with utter openness. 

Kerguelén has an extra character to compliment the two we see on the screen throughout ¡salsa! the music. It is its creature here, an unmistakable presence that wonderfully shrouds the film once we hear it. Music gives our characters purpose and brings them closer together in a way words would struggle. 

To help set the scene for these characters and for ¡salsa! to thrive is the wonderfully lit and shot work from cinematographer Mateo López. Once you enter that bar, you never want to leave it. The music lures you, but the look and feel of the place is what keeps you there. You want to be like the couples, and eventually, our two leads in sweatily dancing the night away. Allow all those thoughts that run through your head during the rest of the day to dissipate so you can feel the emotions and joy that music and dance bring to your soul. 

That is what you feel from ¡salsa! that no matter who you are or what circumstances you find yourself in, there is an escape in some form. For Margarita and Liana, it is the near unspoken connection that movement has to a person. It’s beautiful, it’s sensual, it’s addictive, and, importantly, it is necessary. We all need a version of what we find together to find someone who understands everything about us, be it a disability or sexuality. Kerguelén ensures that the message is delivered as meaningfully as possible. 

The short will also be part of the Festival´s Vis-Ability program that represents a cross section of short programs to shed light on stories of persons with disabilities on June 6th at 4pm at the Village East Cinema and June 16th at 12:15pm in Village East Cinema. The special screening on June 6th will play before the silent film THE UNKNOWNwhich will feature a conversation between actor, writer, and disability advocate Mat Fraser and fellow actor and disability advocate Christine Bruno.

https://tribecafilm.com/films/salsa-2024

★★★ 1/2

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