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Logline

As René navigates the loss of her favorite person—her Aunt Sara—a supernatural creature stuck in the limbo between life and death begins to manifest in her world, forcing René to learn how to let go..

Synopsis

As René, a Mexican immigrant living in the United States, struggles to cope with the loss of her beloved Aunt Sara, she reconnects with childhood friends during a unique trip to the Joshua Tree desert in California. During the journey, René’s nightmares—born of her avoidance—come to life when a supernatural being begins to manifest in her world: the essence of Aunt Sara, trapped in the limbo between the living and the dead (inspired by the Mexica mythology of the Mictlán).

René begins to experience strange encounters with this mysterious Spirit. As she spends time with her friends while trying to hide her inner emotional turmoil, tensions within the group begin to surface. As the Spirit begins to lose itself in this limbo, the boundary between the living and the dead begins to fracture; the Spirit becomes increasingly distorted, and René is forced to confront the consequences of her denial. Drawn toward a mythical threshold evoking the Mictlán, René must finally face the truth that love cannot prevent loss—and that it is the act of letting go, not attachment, that allows both the living and the dead to move forward.

Meet the Filmmakers

Ericka de Alexander (She/They) — Writer/Director/Actor
Ericka de Alexander is a Mexican-British writer, director, actor, and producer from Mexico living in Los Angeles. She obtained her B.A. in TV and Film Production from the University of Southern California in 2019. Ericka is drawn to themes of hopefulness, loss of innocence, and otherness. She co-wrote, produced, and directed the short film, The First Color, which was sponsored by the ALS Association, and premiered at LA Shorts. Her short documentary titled The Cleaning Lady, fiscally sponsored by Film Independent, had its world premiere at DOCNYC 2024. After its premiere, this documentary got picked up by PBS to join their POV Shorts Series Season 7, and later won a Telly in the Documentary Short Form category.

Ericka’s most recent short film, FLAMES, premiered at LA Shorts in 2025. Ericka is a new directing member of the Alliance of Women Directors and “But How Beautiful Life Is” will be her debut feature as a director.

Ashley Agren (She/Her) — Director of Photography
Ashley Agren (She/Her) was born in Sweden and raised in Santa Clarita, California. She fell in love with filmmaking from a young age while watching movies with her dad. Over time, she developed her skills behind the camera as a photographer and videographer. Ashley graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts with a B.A. in Film and Television Production, where she honed in on her passion for cinematography. Ashley is known for The Seven Neighbors (post-production, feature), Mare (2020, short), and Flames (2025, short). She has worked in the camera department on documentaries, such as Unsolved Mysteries (2024), New Wave (2024), and Driven (2022). This will be Ashley and Ericka’s second collaboration together.

Michaela Yelland (She/They) — Producer/Actor
Michaela Yelland (She/They) is an editor originally from Chandler, Arizona. After graduating with a film degree from Full Sail University, she moved to Los Angeles to start her career. She has experience editing multiple forms of content such as narrative, documentary, music videos, and commercials. Michaela has 4 years of experience as an assistant editor for network television shows such as Chrisley Knows Best, Restoring Galveston, and Daughters Of The Cult. She also edited the queer web series If The World Was Ending, which has gained over 200k views on YouTube.

This will be Michaela and Ericka’s 5th collaboration together.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact [email protected].