Afraid of living an overly traditional life in suburbia, a teen decides to take part in a foreign exchange program in Costa Rica leading her into an experience that is even more powerful than she could have imagined.
HOPE/ESPERANZA is a coming-of-age drama set in the early 2000s. It tells the story of Hope, a young woman seeking to escape her monotonous suburban life in upstate NY to spend her senior year abroad in Costa Rica. Driven by a thirst for freedom and adventure, Hope’s dreams are upended when she is placed in a home with Celia, a strict, devout Catholic host mother in a small, gossip-fueled town dominated by traditional gender roles. As she struggles to navigate the oppressive environment and culture clash, Hope pursues a forbidden romance with an undocumented Nicaraguan immigrant named Daniel. As their relationship deepens, it draws unwanted attention, threatening not only her standing in the community, but also Daniel’s safety. Hope’s journey is the traditional American dream story in reverse. She is seeking a more fulfilling life and does so by moving from the US to a developing nation. Unlike her love interest, her migration is one of choice. Conflict emerges from this disparity and she must navigate the fine line between self-discovery and naive recklessness.
