‘We’re all a bit odd’, says Pedro at some point in the presence of Daniela and Tania. They are about to reveal to someone else the content of their suitcase: a purple-coloured, child-sized alien with huge, dark eyes. The three friends, who are presently going through a phase of varying levels of disenchantment in their lives, have spent the last few days following a map left by Tania’s grandmother. She has just passed away; her last wish was that the alien be returned to the spot where it originally appeared on earth. Mildly surprised but relatively unfazed by the discovery that her grandma has spent her final years in the caring company of a cute alien, Tania, a trans* woman, embarks with her friends on a journey through small-town Argentina. As their trip progresses, their emotional void slowly gives way to new-found strength.
Favouring quiet emotions over wordy exchanges, and underdogs over conventional heroes, Santiago Loza assuredly sidesteps conventions of genre and storytelling to unfold this neon-lit tale of unconditional friendship.