When two women burst a tyre on an isolated road after burying the body of their abuser, they have to rely on help from another pair of women on the run from their troubled pasts. The already destabilised situation escalates further when a mysterious man arrives and offers to help.
The film follows Frances, a young woman preparing for a solo journey, and her strained relationship with her mother, Claudia. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of the Sonoran desert in 1970, where tensions escalate when in an act of self-defence Claudia ends up killing her abusive husband, Jimmy.
Despite their turbulent relationship, Frances helps her mother by driving to an isolated area to bury the body. On their way back, they encounter Olga and Lili, a lesbian couple fleeing their troubled past. Frances gets a flat tyre from nails scattered across the road, triggering Claudia’s suspicion. Believing they have been set up by the couple, Claudia points her gun at Lili, forcing her to drive to the nearest town for a tow truck. This switch of partners allows each character to travel with a ‘stranger,’ reflecting their insecurities and trauma.
Claudia embarks on a surreal journey after a confrontation with Lili. A Witch saves her, leading her into an alternate realm where she learns valuable lessons about self-pleasure and empowerment, guided by Madame Christine. Parallel to this, Frances is left alone with Olga in the middle of nowhere, struggling with pain from her fibroids. We see the fibroids as huge jellyfish hanging from the sky, their tentacles reaching for Frances.
To ease her mind, Frances opens up to Olga about her guilt over an abortion, believing she deserves the fibroids while contradicting her belief that she wasn’t ready for motherhood. Olga helps her see the situation differently, beyond religious and political standards. They share a moment, and in this way, Frances manages to shrink the jellyfish.
As the story progresses, conflicts arise, suspicions deepen, and a mysterious figure, The Man, complicates the situation, manipulating Frances into a tense standoff with Olga and Lili. However, at the peak of tension, Frances realises the illusory nature of The Man and chooses to release herself from the chaos, leading to relief and reconciliation among the women.
In a twist of realms, Claudia and Frances face car trouble once more, but this time, Olga, despite initial hesitations, extends a helping hand. This gesture symbolises an understanding of vulnerability and marks a newfound sense of unity among the women, transcending their tumultuous journey through the desert. The film concludes on a note of healing and forgiveness as Claudia and Frances reconcile, signifying a shift in their relationship dynamics.
Throughout their multi-dimensional trip across the Sonoran Desert, the film explores themes of trauma, trust, empowerment, and reconciliation, culminating in a resolution that emphasises the strength found in vulnerability and mutual support among women.
Maria Millan is a Venezuelan filmmaker based in London. She is now shadowing Series Producer Mat Chaplin and Director Sean James Grant in an Apple TV series. The scheme is run by 60-Forty Productions and Film London.
Millan is also an alumna of the Hessen Lab where she showcased her screenplay 'The Hollow Women' at the B3 Biennale in Frankfurt, Germany, in October 2022, which is now a semi-finalist of the Stowe Lab Screenwriting Fellowship in the US.
She was also part of 'Talent Led: Next Gen' by the Independent Film Trust in London for the 2022/2023 term. Her academic foundation includes a BA Honours in Communications and Media, specialising in Audio-Visual Arts from the Catholic University Andres Bello in Caracas. Furthering her skills, she studied Directing techniques at the renowned International Film School in San Antonio de Los Baños, Cuba (EICTV).
Her directorial prowess shone in the film ‘The Refuge’ featuring actresses Lujza Richter Hugo and Demi Hannah Scott. The film earned a place in the official selection of The Women’s Film Festival in Seattle and L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris. 'The Refuge’ is now on Amazon.
In October 2022, Maria premiered her 23-minute documentary ‘Trans_CCS' at the 33rd Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. It also screened in GRRL HAUS cinema, BANGIFF in Thailand, Lonely Seal Film Festival in Boston, Seattle Latino, Tokyo Shorts in Japan 2023 and it will screen at ’Cine Social, La Imagen del Sur' in Spain this November 2024.
Maria recently premiered her first feature- length documentary 'Family Pride, Queer Aside’ on Pride Day 2024 within the 9th annual Feminist Border Arts Film Festival in the US.
The film was also part of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival alongside ‘Trans_CCS’. In Europe, the documentary premiered at the Queer Film Festival Utrecht in The Netherlands in August 2024.
B3 Biennial Hessen Lab 2022
Independent Film Trust 2022-23 - 'Talent Led: Next Gen' (London)
Film London Production Finance Market 2023 - Main Strand
Semi-Finalist for the Stowe Lab Screenwriting Fellowship, 2024.
The screenplay has gotten an ‘Honourable Mention’ in PrimeTime Network UK, 2024.
