Life Itself

Amazing movie. A generational love story interwoven with death, tragedies, trauma, yet, strength and love.

When one of the character Isabel Diaz is near her death, she said a formal goodbye to her son Rigo. And this is what she says:

” Listen to me. Rigo, you have had many ups and downs in your life. Too many. And you will have more. This is life. And this is what it does. Life brings you to your knees. It brings you lower than you think you can go. But if you stand back up and move forward, if you go just a little farther, you will always find love. I found love in you. And my life, my story, it will continue after i’m gone. Because you are my story. You are your father’s story. Your uncle’s. Rigo, my body fails me, but you are me. So you go now, give me a beautiful life. The most beautiful life ever. Yeah? And if life brings us to our knees, you stand us back up. You get up and go farther, and find us the love. Will you do that?”

Our parents or ancestors’ death is never an end for them. We all have a part of them that still lives through us. Our story is their stories. Our strength comes from their strength. When we rise and thrive, they too rise and thrive again in this world. They see through our eyes. Feel through our bodies. They are still manifesting their dreams through us.

Rigo’s daughter Elena Dempsey-Gonzalez said in the end of the movie:

“I’m not sure whose story i have been telling. I’m not sure if it is mine, or if it’s some character’s i have yet to meet. I’m not sure of anything. All i know is that, at any moment, life will surprise me. It will bring me to my knees, and when it does, i will remind myself, i will remind myself that I am my father. And I am my father’s father. I am my mother. And I am my mother’s mother. And while it may be easy to wallow in the tragedies that shape our lives, and whIile it’s natural to focus on those unspeakable moments that bring us to our knees, we must remind ourselves that if we get up, if we take the story a little bit farther…… If we go far enough, there’s love. “

Our ancestors didn’t only pass down tragedies and negative impact but strength and love. As long as we widen our gaze, we can see them.