Rob Munday
Travelling can be a life-changing experience, offering a broader perspective than everyday life usually allows. However it can also feel isolating – something I’m reminded of as I write this from a small café in a local airport – especially when you don’t have the right people to share the experience with. In Gerardo Coello Escalante and Amandine Thomas’ Sundance short Susana, the titular protagonist finds herself in a similar situation: her long-planned trip has gone awry after her daughter cancels at the last minute. Yet when she crosses paths with a group of welcoming young Americans, she’s reinvigorated with a sense of adventure – one that will lead her on a journey of self-discovery.
Set on the bustling streets of Mexico City, Susana starts almost like a tourist video, as we watch the routine of some colourful street performers. While introducing the film’s location – treated almost as a character in its own right – this exposition also works to introduce the perspective of its titular central character, a visitor navigating unfamiliar ground. From there, Escalante and Thomas’ short fully immerses us in Susana’s point of view, allowing us to experience her trepidation, isolation, excitement, and awe as she wanders the city in search of connection.
Susana played by Bonnie Hellman interacting with the locals in Mexico City
“The idea for Susana came to us during our travels throughout Mexico”, Escalante and Thomas explain. While visiting Monte Albán in Oaxaca, they encountered “a pair of elderly British ladies traveling together, all decked out with hiking sticks, sunscreen, hats and guidebooks”. This encounter lead to a fascination with “an older version of a tourist, one which was maybe a bit misguided but also fueled by curiosity and a sense of adventure.” From that spark, the character of Susana emerged.
Perfectly portrayed by Bonnie Hellman, Susana becomes an ideal vessel for Escalante and Thomas’ narrative and the themes they aim to explore. By crafting such an empathetic character, the filmmakers sought to “complicate the narrative of gentrification,” noting that films tackling these “tricky subjects” can sometimes become “too simplistic and allow the audience to side with moral righteousness.” Instead, they wanted to avoid that trap, inviting viewers to reflect on “their own role within gentrification and touristification.”
“We shot for 5 days all over Mexico City in December 2023. The film took a few months to be edited and was picture locked by March 2024 and post production fully wrapped up in June of that same year” – the directors discussing production.
Shot by DP Andrea Gavazzi (A Lien), Escalante and Thomas approached production with a documentary sensibility, working with a small crew and relying on natural light whenever possible. Most of the Mexican characters – aside from the boy selling crickets – appear as versions of themselves, making it essential for the shoot to remain flexible so their real jobs and routines could be authentically captured and show how their lives revolve around the tourist trade. Filmed with an Alexa Mini armed with super speed lenses, the photography and editing (by Thomas) play a crucial role in the film’s immersive quality, conveying the vibrant bustle of Mexico City while simultaneously drawing us into Susana’s more solitary, introspective experience.
Following its World Premiere at Sundance 2025, Susana went on to win Best Narrative Film at the Provincetown Film Festival and Best Short Film (15 minutes and over) at the Palm Springs ShortFest later that year. The short is now available online as part of its Oscar For Your Consideration campaign in the Best Live Action Short Film category. As multi-alums with Viaje de Negocias and Hello Beautiful Please Follow Back, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that Academy voters share our love for this charming short.