As directors, their role (as they stated at one of the film’s screenings) was an obvious one: to set the stage for the actors to do what they do best: storytelling. The same goes for Puerto Rican-Guatemalan co-star Adria Arjona as well as Cuban-American producer Phil Lord and his producing counterpart Christopher Miller. Arjona — who we can see take a purposeful backseat to her Cuban counterparts in her role as María, a kind, strong sanitarium nurse, and Gustavo’s love interest — compels you. I can appreciate Arjona’s decision as an executive producer to allow her character to illuminate the evolution of de la Puente’s character, Gustavo, as he develops and begins to trust his own voice as he says goodbye to any remanence of youth gone too soon. With each subtle phrase and exchange between María and Gustavo, you feel the gravity and tension of the situation brewing.