BACK TO LIFE (VUELVE A LA VIDA)

Q&A with director Carlos Hagerman

Back to Life revels in the art of storytelling as we get multiple perspectives on the life of an Acapulco legend, the scuba instructor Hilario Martinez. Known for teaching Hollywood stars and his ways with women, Martinez’s biggest catch was his wife Robyn Sidney, a New York model known in Acapulco as the “Giraffe” for her height, slender grace and fair complexion. After meeting Martinez on vacation, the Giraffe left her then husband and brought her 3-year-old son to live in Mexico. Although Martinez died in 2002, this film brings him back to life through recollections by his friends and family, including the Giraffe. At the center of their memories is the momentous hunt led by Martinez in the 1970s for a giant shark. Filmmaker Carlos Hagerman (who co-directed the award-winning Those Who Remain) brings a jaunty style to this tale that’s as pleasurable as a cold drink on a hot beach.

Trailer 1 “Vuelve a la vida” from la sombra del guayabo on Vimeo.

Tell a friend about this film