Eleven-year-old Maria and her mother, Lilibeth, live on the fringe of Nicaragua’s biggest garbage dump. They survive by recycling waste and breeding puppies. They live in abject poverty so their relationship is strained, but Maria has her imagination and Lilibeth hangs on to hope for a better future. But life doesn’t go as planned and soon Maria is entrusted to her mother’s friends while Lilibeth tries to sort things out. Nicaragua’s first woman-directed fiction feature comes from Laura Baumeister, who was inspired to make this film by the children she used to teach. With compassion and intelligence, the director creates a poignant coming-ofage story that is exquisitely hypnotic as it is brutally realistic. As we follow Maria’s haunting journey, it is evident that nothing can limit our imagination or dreams, and through that resilience you can find the strength to build your own world. (Karen PARK)