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TECHNICAL::
Working Title: Victoria
Estimated Duration: 90 minutes
Genre: Drama
Country of Origin: Puerto Rico / United States
Language: Spanish / English
Creative Team:
Screenwriter/Director/Producer/: Bernice González Bofill
Producer: Arleen Cruz Alicea
Total Estimated Budget: $1-$3M US
Current Project Status: Development.
LOGLINE:
Exiled decades ago by her devout family after a traumatic teenage abortion, a rising New York playwright returns to Puerto Rico to reconcile with her dying mother, only to form an unexpected, profound bond with the sister she never met.
SYNOPSIS:
Banished from Puerto Rico as a teenager by her ultra-religious parents after a secret abortion went wrong, Victoria rebuilt her life in New York, cutting all ties to the past. Over the years, she’s crafted a seemingly unshakable world—one where ambition and art have replaced the family that cast her out. But when she receives a call from Sofía, the sister she’s never met, revealing that their mother is dying, the carefully constructed life Victoria built begins to fracture.
As the weight of her past creeps in, old memories and buried shame resurface, making it impossible to maintain the distance she once held. Against her instincts, Victoria makes the painful decision to return to the island she swore she’d left behind for good.
Back home, she’s met not just by the ghosts of her own exile, but by Sofía—a young woman raised in the shadow of the same mother, but under vastly different circumstances. Sofía yearns for connection and forces Victoria to reckon with the idea that she might not be as untethered as she believed.
As the sisters navigate a fragile bond and an unraveling family legacy, Victoria must face the woman who let her go—and the island that shaped her. With time running out, she’s forced to confront what “home” truly means, and whether she can reclaim it before it’s too late.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
As a Puerto Rican filmmaker living in New York, Victoria is an intensely personal story—one that mirrors the duality of displacement and belonging. It unfolds between two opposing worlds: the relentless energy of New York City, where ambition and reinvention define the protagonist, and the weight of Puerto Rico, a home both familiar and foreign after years of exile. Victoria is a story of reconciliation—not only with family but with the fractured self left behind. It explores the collision between past and present, the friction between cultural heritage and personal reinvention, and the quiet grief of returning to a place that no longer fits the memory of home.
What drew me to Victoria’s journey is its raw emotional truth. Her return after years of estrangement reflects a universal human experience—the longing for belonging, the pain of unresolved relationships, and the courage it takes to confront our roots. Like Victoria, I have navigated two worlds—one fueled by creative aspirations, the other tied to cultural and familial obligations.
Puerto Rico is not just a setting in this film; it is a character. Its lush mountains, colonial streets, and vast ocean horizons mirror Victoria’s internal struggles. The island’s beauty carries weight—it is haunted by history, resilience, and unspoken wounds. Through surreal dream sequences and symbolic imagery, the film visually explores the push and pull between what was lost and what remains, between the memories we carry and the ones that slip away.
Growing up on the island feels like a fading dream, each year making it harder to return. Yet every visit reminds me of the strength and endurance of Puerto Rican women—women whose faces fill the news, whose stories of pain and resilience demand to be told. These women inspired Victoria. Her journey is not just her own; it echoes the stories of so many—those forced to leave, those who stayed behind, and those caught in between.
Writing Victoria has been an act of creation, healing, and self-discovery. The story became a tapestry woven with pieces of my family, my homeland, and the realities I’ve lived and witnessed. Art became my lifeline, a sanctuary where pain found voice and hope took form.
What excites me most about Victoria is its ability to connect across cultures and generations. It speaks to the Puerto Rican diaspora, the Latinx community, and anyone struggling with identity, belonging, and legacy. At the same time, it delves into larger themes—exile, colonialism, and the emotional cost of cultural disconnection.
My goal is to tell this story with authenticity, heart, and deep respect for its cultural nuances. Victoria is not just about returning home—it’s about redefining it, about reconciling fractured identities and embracing the beauty and complexity of who we are. Through her journey, I see my own: the pain, strength, and hope that define not only my life but the lives of so many in the Puerto Rican diaspora.
In the end, Victoria holds as much of me as I hold of her. She represents the power of art to transform struggle into meaning and pain into beauty. This is a story I am honored to tell—one that, I believe, will leave a lasting impact.
Selected for the 2024 RUTA Crítica Development Program, supporting bold new voices in Latin American cinema.