Vicky is a fisherman by day, and barwoman by night. Her bar is located on a windy beach of Enchaquirados, in the coastal town of Engabao in Ecuador. When she was a boy, she fantasised about becoming a telenovela star, but now she dreams of falling in love again. Brimming silences, loud voids and sporadic catches of fish make up the atmosphere of her life, imbued with unfulfilled desire. But the beach of Enchaquirados also glows with an irresistible and liberating warmth. Vicky belongs to the local trans-community in which gender and sexuality are experienced in their enchanting fluidity, inherited from indigenous tribes. As we watch her manoeuvre and flirt with clients, crushes, passersby and surfers, we wonder how it is possible that this isolated fishing society in a third world country has achieved such unique freedom and tolerance. But then we realise we are slaves of our own western stereotypes. Sexual diversity formed a major aspect of culture and rituals of their ancestors, the people of Huancavilca, before the Spanish colonisation brought repression. The camera follows the social life of a fishing town, its high suns and sunsets, lulling us in with its stylized frames and meditative tempo, catching Vicky in her natural environment balancing between demanding physical labour at sea and feminine elegance she aspires to in her private life. These two worlds are seemingly opposed, but Iván Mora Manzano succeeds at portraying both with equal charm and affection – from giggly flirtation to painfully honest conversations about her unfulfilled life, from abandoned beaches to the boiling carnival season. The Beach of Enchaquirados demonstrates how the communal spirit contributes to individual resistance to difficult working conditions and failed hopes. Compañera Vicky knows that life can indeed be a sweet dream, despite its bitter awakenings. (DP)

Awards and festivals: 

IDFA (2021) – world premiere; Doclisboa (2022) – Healthy Workplaces Award; Guadalajara IFF (2022) – MIX Copenhagen LGBTQ+ Film Festival (2022)