The Ones Who Remain tells the true stories of 11 men, women and children from different regions of Mexico whose families who have crossed the border to the United States in search of better opportunities. It is a film that explores the melancholy, memories and identity of those who remain, who continue to wait, to love and to dream, and a film about absence, about the families whose lives are defined by the voids emigration has created.
What happens to these broken families? How do they adapt? What happens in these communities of childless parents and fatherless children, where wives must raise families without their husbands?
What happens in these towns that are missing half their population, abandoned by generations of young people?
The Ones Who Remain gives a voice to this silent, but very real phenomenon that affects virtually every region of Mexico. The intention was not to simply interview those affected, but to record the trials and tribulations of their daily lives. This approach has resulted in a discreet, yet authentic portrayal of their day-to-day existence. We see the characters in the film at work, at rest, at play; listen as they reveal their hopes and fears; and marvel as they share their dreams with us.
Juan Carlos Rulfo is one of Mexico’s most acclaimed filmmakers. After graduating from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in communications sciences, he studied film directing at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica. He has won numerous international awards, including “Best Documentary” at the Sundance, Bacifi, Miami, Biarritz and Karlovi Vary festivals. Juan Carlos holds Guggenheim, Rockefeller and MacArthur grants and was a member of the National System of Art Creators.
Carlos Hagerman holds a Bachelor’s in communications and took a Master’s in film directing at NYU on a Fulbright scholarship. He has won a series of awards for his short films, movie minutes, commercials and video installations. In addition to participating in the 2000 Hannover International Trade Fair, he was involved in the ABCDF project and his films have been screened at several festivals.