Mexican Director Alma Jiménez Ochomogo’s Newest Film: “A Last Story”
Despite the overwhelmingly disparate stories they tell, one thread ties all of Alma Jiménez Ochomogo’s films together. Perhaps best known for her groundbreaking film “The Play,” the writer, director and producer draws seemingly endless inspiration from the timeless themes of class and social strife.
Born just outside Mexico City, the country’s progressive and metropolitan capital, Jiménez Ochomogo has spent her career creating an ever-growing body of works that consistently challenge societal expectations and prejudices. Her 2016 film “The Play” told the story of a young transgender actress returning to the stage for her first role as a woman. In 2017, Jiménez Ochomogo’s film “The Pair” chronicled the forbidden love story of an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man.
In her upcoming film “A Last Story,” she once again brings to the screen a wholly original and moving tale of star-crossed lovers whose futures ‒ and lives ‒ are placed in jeopardy because of antiquated divisions and misconceptions.
“‘A Last Story’ tells the story of Eliza, a Mexican expatriate living in Los Angeles who encounters a forbidden relationship from the past,” the film’s visionary creator explained. “There’s a twist at the end where the audience discovers why it is a forbidden relationship between Eliza and Luis, both young upper-class Mexicans.”
Though the film is yet to be officially released, it has already made an impression with judges of a number of prominent festivals. With post-production barely in the rear-view, “A Last Story” has already been named an Official Selection at both the Austin Spotlight Film Festival as well as the Creative International Film Festival. The eager decision by the latter festival, based in Canada, to screen “A Last Story” marks yet another landmark in Jiménez Ochomogo’s career. Once again, the illustrious filmmaker’s production has been lauded throughout the North American continent.
In an era marred by growing criticism for a lack of diversity in leading roles, Jiménez Ochomogo’s works offer a glimpse of what the future may hold for the industry. She was inspired to create “A Last Story” in part because of the roles she’s seen traditionally given to Latino actors. She was determined to capture the reality of life as a Latino in Los Angeles, where Mexican culture thrives as a key part of the city’s history and present.
“I wanted to show another type of Latino character, different from what I see on American television. There are Mexicans and Latinos of all kinds, not just Latin lovers or domestic employees,” she said. “Eliza is an art director in Hollywood and Luis is an employee in the Mexican embassy with political aspirations. Both characters are ambitious young Latinos.”
The film stars Ilaria Cerini as Eliza, a struggling actress who moved to L.A. in a bid to outrun her broken heart. While searching the cramped aisles of a Downtown corner store, a disheveled and visibly anxious Eliza bumps into another woman. The woman, played by Nicole Coulon (“La La Land,” “Law & Order: SVU”), responds with an inauthentic show of kindness, remarking on Eliza’s appearance in a barely-veiled tone of condescension. Moments later Luis, a sharply-dressed ghost from Eliza’s past, walks through the door. Awkward introductions reveal the woman is Luis’ wife Giselle, and that Eliza and Luis once shared a romance that ended with Eliza’s flight to Los Angeles.
When Luis, played by Colombian actor Nicolas Gamboa (“Chicago P.D.”), sees Eliza at the register with a pregnancy test kit, he strikes up a conversation about their past and it becomes obvious the pair still have chemistry. Throughout the film, the tension between the two grows and leads them both to question the decisions they’ve made and the futures they want.
The forbidden romance between Eliza and Luis serves as a sort of prequel to Jiménez Ochomogo’s forthcoming feature-length film “Staying in Las Vegas.” Set several years after the events of “A Last Story,” the latter film follows the pair as they attempt once more to build a future together.
Rather than allowing these characters’ stories to be a footnote in the production of “Staying in Las Vegas,” Jiménez Ochomogo chose to create a vibrant, dynamic world around them. Those who watch “Staying in Las Vegas” as a standalone film will be in awe of its compelling narrative and the masterful performances by its cast. But those who take the time to absorb both films the way Jiménez Ochomogo intended them to be viewed will be rewarded with a much deeper understanding of the films’ characters.
“The idea [for ‘A Last Story’] came from a larger project that I am currently developing. It’s a feature film called ‘Staying in Las Vegas,’ where we see these two characters a few years after living in Las Vegas,” Jiménez Ochomogo explained. “[‘A Last Story’] emerged from that larger story, and from my need to show a small fragment of who the characters are and the world they came from.”
There is something uniquely genuine about the chemistry between Cerini and Gamboa, something not easily explained. The duo light up the screen with performances so believable it quickly becomes easy to forget their romance is a work of fiction, a script created for them by one of the industry’s most groundbreaking writers. To write such a believable love story requires a level of talent that is all too rare in Hollywood, but there is little doubt that Alma Jiménez Ochomogo will continue to reshape the industry as a whole.
