Drama

The Garden Left Behind

Autonomous Pictures

Queens Pictures

Brazil

United States of America

English

Español

Carlie Guevara

Michael Madsen

Ed Asner

Danny Flaherty

Anthony Abdo

Alex Kruz

Tamara M. Williams

Dawn Young

Bernadette Quigley

Frances Lozada

Ivana Black

Brock Yurich

Miriam Cruz

Will Krisanda

Kristen Parker Lovell

Tym Moss

Sarah Skeist

Paul Castro Jr.

Lawrence Samuels

Amanda M. Rodriguez

Geoff Lee

Siraj Huda

Sidiki Fofana

Anwar Wolf

Pablo Gonzalez

Christine Nyland

Liam Torres

Lea Nayeli

Emmett Jack Lundberg

Andrew Daniels

Devin Michael Lowe

Elliott Velez

Adam Kee

Rita Damiron

Mauricio Mo Zapata

Greg Paroff

John Flynn

Flavio Alves

Everett Clark

Shea Diamond

Steve Iskowitz

Charles Allen Brownley III

Max Berger

Adam Beasley

Waqas Khan

Eon Michael Carlin

Frank Dale Arroyo

Àlex Lora Cercos

Barbaros Ali Kaynak

Roy Wol

Kimberly Matela

Koshi Kiyokawa

John Rotondo

Angelina Scantlebury

Tim Korn

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

One of the greatest roles the medium of film can achieve is to magnify the voices and stories of marginalized communities. “The Garden Left Behind,” an ambitious film about the transgender experience in America, strives to help all of us understand the human experience — especially when it comes to those perceived as “the other.” With a diverse cast of transgender and Latinx actors, this film serves as a great educational tool by allowing the audience to walk a mile in the shoes of another, which in turn helps make the world a smaller, more caring place.

The film tells the fictional story of Mexican trans woman Tina (Carlie Guevara), who lives with her kind grandmother Eliana (Miriam Cruz) in New York City. They are undocumented immigrants and are struggling to build a life for themselves in the United States. Tina wants so desperately to quality for hormone treatment so she can fully transition, hoping to be able to fully live the life she was born to live. Tina’s grandma loves her dearly, but sometimes struggles to understand (but she remains fully supportive of her granddaughter).

The struggles of daily life of a trans woman are treated with compassion and respect, not negatively nor stereotypical. Director Flavio Alves and co-screenwriter John Rotondo worked closely with the trans community to incorporate concerns and realities from their everyday lives into the story. The result is an original, authentic picture of what it’s like to be transgender in America, and particularly a trans woman of color.

We are at Tina’s side as she endures emotional abuse from her boyfriend, verbal threats from strangers, bullying, name-calling, harassment, uncomfortable stares, and the devastation that arises from a life-shattering revelation after she begins the transitioning process. It’s an effective, emotionally devastating way to bridge the gap, as her story is achingly human.

The film has attractive cinematography (by Koshi Kiyokawa) and the pacing moves quickly, never taking too long to tell the story. Still, the script tries to include too many hot-button issues like illegal immigration and the lack of health care, but its political awareness should be commended (although the extended scenes from the “Trans Lives Matter” movement feel forced and stall the narrative).

The end of Tina’s story is shocking and sad, but it feels all too real. The actual statistics that are shown in the film’s closing credits showing the numbers of violence towards trans women of color are shocking. That’s why representation like this on screen is so important: it opens the door to discussion and acceptance, stimulates understanding, lessens discrimination, and fosters kindness across the globe.

The Garden Left Behind - Official Trailer | SXSW Winner

Best Movies

The Garden Left Behind

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Carlie Guevara

Michael Madsen

Ed Asner

Danny Flaherty

Anthony Abdo

Alex Kruz

Tamara M. Williams

Dawn Young

Bernadette Quigley

Frances Lozada

Box office

More Like This

Rosemary's Baby

Playing by Heart

Sliver

About the Looking for and the Finding of Love

Maria Full of Grace

Ghetto-Kids

Fail Safe

The Docks of New York