Ryan McNeilBelén Funes’ new film begins in an olive grove, with a family harvesting crops from some 200 trees. It’s an act of community – something both practical and ritual that we immediately understand holds importance for all who join-in.
In the middle of the gathered family are Delia and Anabel. Delia has been driving a cab ever since her husband Julián died several years ago, and Anabel is beginning her college career in film school. The two have a deep relationship that lingers in the shadow of Julián’s absence.
There’s an old song that talks about getting stuck in a moment – that’s THE EXILES.
Delia is stuck in her grief over Julián; Anabel is stuck since Delia is stuck. The moment has dragged on and dragged several other people in…but they can’t get out of it until they find acceptance.
This acceptance will foster growth.
The acceptance will facilitate a new place to call home, a new career, new opportunities for both women, and a deep sense of closure. To get there, Delia (and to a lesser extent, Anabel) need to let go.
As THE EXILES gently reminds us, this is often the hardest part.
When she has her friends are gathered around a table, Delia mentions that her time living in Spain has eclipsed the years she spent growing up in Chile. She doesn’t speak to whether she considers herself Spanish or Chilean, but the point is understood:
Time passes whether we want it to or not, and if we haven’t squared ourselves with the truth, the truth is just going to walk right on by.
THE EXILES wants us to catch up to the truth. It wants us to harvest the crop when the season is over – accepting the yield as the gift that it is. What’s more, the film wants us to prepare the earth for the off-season, ensuring that this moment won’t stand in the way of the next.
This story is a reminder that bad moments are very much like good moments – affecting, potentially life changing, but ultimately temporary.