Céline Roustan
It’s Sirena’s last day in the Dominican Republic. As she gets ready to leave the island she calls home, and move to the US, she discovers something that makes her question her departure. With Sirena, writer/director Olivia De Camps transports us to the Caribbean, inviting us into the titular protagonist’s community. As Sirena comes to understand the true role her mother plays in their family – and the unsettling reason behind her departure – the film contrasts the idyllic image of the location with this dark reality.
“There exists a deep-rooted machismo complex that casts a dark shadow over Caribbean women”
The Dominican Republic is often known as a vacation hot spot, famous for its beautiful beaches and vibrant landscapes. In Sirena, De Camps shows us a different side of the D.R., almost treating it as a character in the film. While she still captures its beauty and colors, the director also exposes its darker side through the experiences of her female characters, who are trapped in macho societal expectations. “There exists a deep-rooted machismo complex that casts a dark shadow over Caribbean women, leaving them feeling disempowered, voiceless, and unseen”, De Camps explained, building her narrative around this fact.
“This film intimately portrays the story of Seneida, my childhood nanny, who represents the silent battle and strength of many Dominican women”, confessed De Camps. Who added that her goal with her short was to bring “to light the hidden struggles of Dominican women”. Drawing directly from her own life, the filmmaker not only based one of her characters on her nanny, but the titular Sirena is also based on her real daughter. This on-screen generational divide works to not only broaden the scope of the narrative, the younger woman becomes a “bold counterpoint, challenging the oppressive norms and urging her mother towards liberation”.
Esmadelin Garcia Mercedes stars as the titular character in Sirena
In the first half of the film, Sirena is seen observing the surroundings that she is set to leave behind, making for a subtle yet effective exposition and providing the audience with an entry point into her life. Crafting an engaging rhythm for the audience, De Camps and editor Hrishi Bardhan embraced a structurally extended opening, as it gives us time to get to know Seneida, especially through the eyes of her own daughter. Halfway through the short, as we discover Sirena’s dark family secret, the pacing picks up. Allowing both women to have a confrontation and reveal what they are holding inside, especially how Sirena is hoping to break the cycle.
Much like in real life, both Sirena and Seneida do not really talk much. DP Gabriel Crawford Connelly captures both actresses – Luz Seneida Mercedes and Esmadelin Garcia Mercedes – in close-ups during those silent moments. With both performances conveying the weight they carry with a striking authenticity. The confrontation scene stands out as my favorite, as both women are finally honest with one another, seeing each other – and the place they occupy in their society – with heartbreaking clarity. In that instant, both performances reveal just how trapped they are, resulting in a genuinely emotional moment.
Ahead of its online debut, Sirena made its way around the 2024 festival circuit with notable stops at the Aspen Shortsfest, the Palm Springs ShortFest and Locarno – in the Open Doors section. De Camps is currently developing her feature debut, which is also set to be shot in the Dominican Republic.