‘In My Room’ Highlights Latinx Teens’ Art and Voices

From HBO Max’s Latinx initiative, Pa’lante!, and WORD creative agency, comes In My Room: Growing Through Uncertain Times. The powerful short film brings to light the recent emotional struggles of eight teenage girls living through the pandemic. In under three minutes Kimberly Espinosa, 16; Kyra Saldana, 18; Melanie Espinal, 15; Ixchel Cruz, 15; Xochitl Cruz, 17; Romina Estrada, 18; CJ Calica, 16; and Alexandra Merkulova, 15, discuss identity and what lies ahead.

All the teens are students of Las Fotos Project, an LA-based nonprofit for young photographers and filmmakers. Following a masterclass in storytelling, the emerging artists brought each of their intimate perspectives to the vignette. The short includes intricate images of the young women’s personal spaces and belongings like polaroids, handwritten journal entries, eyeglasses, lip gloss, and customized laptops. Viewers get a fly-on-the-wall peek into the lives of the young creators.

In My Room is the second installment of Pa’lante!’s four-part digital content series, Are You Listening? The film serves to spotlight the ladies’ photography and viewpoints. It does just that with audio of the creatives’ heartfelt musings set against soft music and sequences of their visual art.

“Sometimes I’m afraid to go outside my comfort zone, especially when I’m doing creative projects,” shares one student as two self-portraits of Romina Estrada appear on screen. In the photos her red-hued bob and made-up face contrast her physical stance — in one image her hands are tucked in her lap; in the other she sits with her legs pulled in as she holds her face.

Later, another girl gets super vulnerable. “I create these notions in my head that the things I think are wrong and that I need to follow the crowd, and it ruins my individuality,” she admits as CJ Calica’s self-portraits come into view. They’re somber shots of her sitting on her bed with her dog. Behind her the walls are completely covered in photos and artwork, a quintessential depiction of teenage expression. 

“It’s important to give young women the opportunity to see their work in a professional creative context and as leaders in our industries, to provide space for [them] to exercise creative risk,” explains Laura Bermudez, lead editor of In My Room. The producers of the film were inspired by that notion.

Zoila Darton, founder of WORD and director of the Are You Listening? series says, “I always say: what we do is for the next generation to feel more at ease. None of this work is about us. This short film feels like a time capsule that will serve as comfort for generations to come.”

Xochitl Cruz echoed the sentiment. After the project’s completion she reflected, “My parents mentioned to me how special it is that I have these projects of self exploration, because one day, I can share them with my kids and grandkids; and I kinda froze, because to me, it's crazy to think there's life beyond this moment and this version of myself.”

The piece ends on a hopeful note with a final affirmation. “I’m most excited about my future, seeing how things go and I have a lot of trust and faith in myself that I’ll be able to handle everything. I’ll live a good life. Everything’s in my hands and I don’t think I could do anything bad with that.”

Watch In My Room: Growing Through Uncertain Times now on YouTube and Instagram!