What started as a silly comedy bit with a friend became a story I found I was itching to tell. I wanted to find a way to grab this simple concept and tell the story of a man who is truly struggling. One who is suffering to keep his head straight & temperament cool. As men, I find that we often refuse to talk about our internal issues, we just dive into work or hobbies to avoid the conversation. In my experience, that sentiment goes double for the Latine community.

Growing up, I felt as though many extended family members or friends would often dismiss mental health struggles as non-existent. Any struggles were automatically viewed as failures or created due to a lack of work ethic. So in having this self-reflection, I found Gio; a man who has blamed himself for all of life’s misfortunes. A man who has ignored his loved ones because he cannot accept help. A man who has tried to dive into shitty job after shitty job just to keep his mind off of his biggest issue — himself.

I hope audiences can watch this and see themselves in this character while also seeing that sometimes, if we allow it, even the smallest things can make us smile. Even the smallest amount of vulnerability can change the course of our life.

-Ethan Felizzari-Castillo (Director/Writer)