Macha Colón‘s debut film, Perfume de Gardenias, is set to have its world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, taking place June 9 to 20.
Perfume de Gardenias is a dark comedy that captures the idiosyncrasies and spirit of a nation adept at creating novel strategies for laughter in the face of adversity. The film tells the story of Isabel—played by veteran theater and television actress Luz María Rondón in her first movie-starring role—an elderly woman living in a middle-class neighborhood in Puerto Rico, who has just become a widow after having cared for her husband until his last breaths. However, her recent loss becomes a blessing when she crafts a beautiful custom-made funeral for him that catches the attention of Toña (Sharon Riley), a pious but domineering woman who involves herself in local funerals.
In line with Colón’s collaborative artistic spirit, Perfume de Gardenias is likewise a work that brings together her creative community with many cross-generational figures from Puerto Rico’s local arts and cultural circles featuring in the film. Part of a broader body of work that includes productions across the disciplines of music, performance art, and political activism, Perfume de Gardenias brings the daring, cheerful, and radically “cuir” style that characterizes Macha Colón’s artistic output to the silver screen.
Colón, a renowned queer Afro-Puerto Rican singer, multi-disciplinary artist, and filmmaker manages to capture the vivid colors of the Caribbean island by offering a nuanced portrait of the customs, characters, and idiosyncrasies of its battered middle class. Colón’s gaze is as authentic as it is original as she dares to poke fun at the sacred and profound in a deeply Catholic culture; humor that, in the end, helps to broaden our understanding of death, mourning, and the meaning of life itself.
The film is made in co-production with Colombia’s 2.35 Digital and Romeo. Scroll up to watch the trailer for Macha Colón’s Perfume de Gardenias.
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