The General and the Specific

Lately, things have been moving very fast. I've started getting into interviews with some of the most important characters in the film, having established a general framework for the narrative arch and the important themes that I plan to touch on.

I recently realized something important partly on my own and partly by talking to my friend and compatriot Avishai, who has just arrived from DC and will be helping me out here for the next two months. I realized that whatever I present as Zipolite has the potential to be seen as a metaphor for Mexico. I think it is a natural tendency for us to draw parallels from the specific to the general when we see movies, and I feel like it is something that I could actually take advantage of. Why not make this film a comentary about Mexican society? All the powerful forces in this film (disabilities, tourism etc...) exist in other parts of the republic and their specific configuration in Zipolite says much more about the national culture than just this town. It is a culture of insensitivity towards people in wheelchairs that has resulted in there being almost no ramps in large cities or small towns ANYWHERE. Zipolite is an example of that.

Clearly Zipolite is a special place and I realize that. I wouldn't have chosen to make this film HERE if I didn't understand the uniqueness of this place. Nonetheless, Zipolite is a product of the people that made it and live in it.