“Excuse me, José, do you remember the last time you saw your son?” “Yes, of course. I was sick that day. We were working on the boss’s ranch. It was two p.m.” Simply beautiful and very poignant, director Juan Pablo González’s short essay strikingly portrays a father who reflects on the unexpected loss of his son Fernando. We hear José relate the story of that day three times during the film and each re-telling is slightly different. Richly composed, thoughtful photography deftly underscores this raw yet deeply respectful remembrance. Anyone who has lost someone will share in José’s pain. Although his countenance is rather stoic, José’s grief is palpable on screen—we see how he spends his days in contemplation and still deeply mourns his loss. His loneliness is all the more pronounced set against a bucolic countryside backdrop of lime groves, pastures, and farmland and accompanied by a haunting Mexican folksong that beckons, “Little goldfinch lend your wings . . . and take this memory from me.”  WFM