What are the ties that bind? What is it that bonds people together, creating connections that will last a lifetime? Our lives intertwine for various reasons and often times, we find certain people right when we most need them to appear. One such story serves as the basis for the film Ana. Set amidst the backdrop of a Puerto Rico devastated in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Ana takes to a used car lot owned by Rafael “Rafa” Rodriguez (Andy Garcia) who is facing bankruptcy on top of a gambling problem. Living across the street is 11 year old Ana (Dafne Keen) who is left alone when her mother Leonor (Aris Mejias) is arrested. Ana seeks refuge with Rafa who, after being unable to find family to the girl in, reluctantly looks out for her in her mother’s absence. After Rafa gets in debt to local gangster Diego (Ramón Franco) for $5,000 and meeting with Leonor in an attempt to link Ana with her father, Rafa and the girl embark on a road trip to try to reunite her with her father and save him from bankruptcy, or worse.
The common idiom states that “blood is thicker than water” but the phrase we’ve all come to know has always been recited incorrectly. In its full, correct form the saying is “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” meaning that ties forged through shared experiences trump those that exist merely through the random chance of genetics. This sentiment is reflective of the relationship we see between Ana and Rafa. The two cross paths when both are at their lowest and in each other, find what they need to reverse their fortunes. For Rafa in particular, meeting the young girl gives him a new outlook on life and something to live for. Nothing in his life is going right and through protecting Ana, he now has purpose and meaning. Establishing deep connections with non-family members does not necessarily mean that ties to blood relatives must take a backseat, as the film shows. On the contrary, Rafa’s relationship with Ana inspires him to reconnect with his own adult sons; through her he realizes what he has missed in allowing his fatherly duties to lapse without tending to them.
Ana also manages to integrate a bit of social commentary through its depiction of Puerto Rican politics. Always lingering the background of the film through television spots is the reelection campaign of Congressman Vega. The politician regales potential voters with promises to make “Puerto Rico Great Again” in the midst of its post-storm struggles. While he campaigns for votes, a financial scandal over alleged misdeeds is simultaneously developing, with the Congressman pledging his innocence. This theme of people on the island attempting to take advantage of shortcuts and loopholes to get ahead runs throughout the film, whether its through car salesmen like Rafa himself or one featured prominently on television ads in several scenes, or through church leader with a shady side Pastor Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) who cuts through an attempt by Rafa to display morality with a reality check on the used car tax hustle that brought him to Puerto Rico from Miami in the first place. During desperate times, people are often forced to do what they must to survive, with our main characters being no exception.
Dafne Keen continues to shine at every opportunity, offering a show stealing performance in the film. She is at once precocious but also with the touch of innocence that is present within even the toughest, hardened child. Her comedic timing during the film’s funniest moments is impeccable, particularly during two of Ana’s most uproarious scenes set in Pastor Helen’s church. Veteran Andy Garcia also shines as the down on his luck, reluctant caregiver Rafa who eventually warms up to the youngster who was suddenly thrust into his life. Ana relies on the chemistry between its two main characters and Garcia and Keen absolutely knock it out of the park with believable interaction that pulls the viewer into their journey and demands a level of caring and empathy that keeps you ensconced throughout.
Ana features high quality cinematography from director of photography Sonnel Velazquez showing off the lush, colorful locales of the Puerto Rican island along with some eye-popping shots and camera work. Some of its shots traveling down the rivers of the island call to mind the all-time cinematography of Apocalypse Now. The film manages to center Puerto Rico not just visually, but through its depiction of its culture, both the good (its music) and the bad (cockfighting).
Ana is a heartfelt story of a child and adult mired in trying circumstances that connect with one providing the other just what their lives had been missing. It combines an emotional story that makes us care and root the characters with just enough moments of levity to balance itself out. The performances from Dafne Keen and Andy Garcia are the heartbeat of the film and what gives it its power and purpose. It is a pleasant surprise that should standout through the duration of the year.
Image: Gravitas Ventures
