Waysland
2022 · 16m · USA
Directed by Lyria Garcia
Genres: drama
Tones: contemplative, tender
Teresa, a Brazilian immigrant working as a dishwasher, dreams of becoming her restaurant's hostess but is held back by her insecurity speaking English; her American roommate Stella helps her find the courage to step into the role.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
A feel-good immigrant story that plays it entirely straight—Teresa's anxiety about English becomes the plot rather than the obstacle, which is safer than it should be, and the roommate redemption arc feels like it was written by committee consensus.
Garcia demonstrates formal control in her use of intimate mise-en-scène and the careful spatial choreography between kitchen and dining room, positioning herself within a lineage of kitchen-set character work that extends from Chungking Express to contemporary ensemble realism.
The film's entire emotional hinge turns on a single choice—the decision to let Teresa's stumbling English dialogue sit unadorned in the mix, no musical compensation—which transforms vulnerability from plot point into a lived, textural experience that justifies the modest scope.
Festivals
- LA Brazilian Film Festival 2022, Best Short