I'll See You In My Dreams: A UCLA Short Film

I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS is a UCLA Undergraduate Capstone/Thesis Short Film written and directed by Santana Aguirre, a current Fourth-Year Undergraduate student at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television. We are shooting this film December 1-4, and we need your support to make our goal before then!

Follow us on Instagram! @isyimdreams

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Rocky, 27, arrives at the ranch home of her estranged family. She’s here for a funeral–her father has just suddenly passed away from an overdose and it’s forced her to have to reunite with a family that she has not spoken to for years. Rocky is anxiously waiting to hear about a spot she auditioned for with a professional orchestra. It’s the next step in her career as a pianist, and achieving the opportunity will make her father proud.

Silvia, 50s, Rocky’s aunt, is the caretaker of a family ranch that she never wanted. Silvia is preparing the home for the funeral of her younger brother–who she hadn’t spoken to in quite some time–and is grappling with the guilt of her absence from his life while he struggled with his addiction.

While staying with Silvia, Rocky begins having vivid and frightening dreams of her father. As Rocky navigates these dreams, she fears that life as a professional musician is unattainable, and, even more terrifying, that she may end up like her father.

Silvia wants to reconnect with Rocky, as she is the last piece of her brother left, but seeing Rocky play piano is painful—it brings back memories of Silvia’s childhood and reminds her of her failed relationship with her brother. Silvia fears that she will never be enough for Rocky and that she will be stuck living a life that she never wanted for herself.

This home is full of ghosts. Ghosts of the family’s past, ghosts of forgotten dreams, ghosts of previous lives. As Rocky and Silvia encounter such ghosts, they are both ultimately forced to ask themselves: What gets passed through the bloodline?

When I was four years old, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons. They always insisted they would support whatever career I chose, but it was a house rule that every child had to learn an instrument. This rule blossomed into a love of music, and while I ultimately chose to pursue filmmaking, music is ingrained in me in an irreplaceable way.

As I grew older, I realized I drew so much inspiration from the people I surrounded myself with. My parents loved music. So, I grew to love it, too. My friends were creative and passionate. It forced me to learn to be those things, too. I was always surrounded by artists who were pushing themselves to grow. It morphed me into a better artist. And, ultimately, a better person, too.

As I grew older, I lost some of these people along the way. Family members, close friends. We all lose people—death is inevitable. Dealing with these deaths forced me to realize how complicated the grieving process can be. People are imperfect and flawed, and it makes our relationships with each other so complex. There's no right way to grieve someone. You can mourn someone, and still resent them for the things they put you through. You can miss someone, and still accept that your life is better without them. You can love someone, and still acknowledge that they made mistakes.

These people I’ve lost along the way—I wouldn’t be here making this if I hadn’t had them in my life. These people I’ve lost along the way—especially the close ones—are the reason I am the artist I am now. These people I’ve lost along the way—I really miss them. And there’s a hole that I’ll probably never be able to fill. But making pieces like this, it’s a start.

This isn’t my story. I’m not Rocky. Rocky’s family isn’t my family. But in a lot of small and veiled ways, there are pieces of me hidden away in different corners of this world. I hope, somewhere hidden away in Rocky’s world, you can find pieces of you, too.

Santana Aguirre playing piano in 2013.

A TIMELESS STORY ABOUT LOSS AND GRIEF.

Death and mourning are universal and timeless. Humans are complex and multifaceted, making our relationships with each other so difficult to define. This project wants to highlight this by taking an uncritical and non-judgemental position when telling an honest story about the grieving process.

A UNIVERSAL STORY WITH A SPECIFIC PERSPECTIVE.

This project takes universally experienced themes and applies them to a specific story that centers a Latinx family. Often, Latinx representation in media is othering, making Latinx people appear unrelatable or unalike. I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS hopes to spark connection between its characters and audiences by highlighting moments of likeness. Our film is grounded in the humanity of its characters, making it a story that anyone can find themselves in.

LATINA WOMEN DESERVE INTERESTING AND COMPLEX CHARACTERS.

This story centers the relationship between two Latina women from two different generations as they learn to communicate and accept each other after years of estrangement. Representation of Latina women on the screen is so limited. The Latina roles that do exist often fall into stereotypes, giving unoriginal opportunities and reflecting an apathetic attitude towards representation. I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS strives to change that by allowing Latina women to be flawed and imperfect, yet emotional and vulnerable as they work to heal their bond.

27. Latina. Aspiring pianist.

Waiting to hear about a spot she’s auditioned for in a professional orchestra. Afraid that her career in music may fail, and, more painfully, that she may disappoint her father. Weary. Stubborn. Lonely.

Character Prototype: A young Martha Argerich.

50s. Latina. Ex-musician.

Rocky's aunt, Adrián's older sister. Was passionate about music as a child, but gave it up to stay and take care of the family home. Jealous of her brother's opportunity to chase his dream of becoming a musician, but full of regret over years not spent with him. Weathered. Tough. Lonely.

40s. Latino. Musician. Addict.

Rocky's father. Devoted and kind, but struggled with addiction for most of his life. A talented guitarist and pianist, passionate about music. Passed that passion onto Rocky. Loving. Warm. Heartbroken.

This is a funeral, so the world is dark. The blinds are drawn. The lights are off. The prayer candles are lit, filling the space with a warm glow. The afternoon sun peeks in through the curtains, just enough to see, but not enough to expose.

This world is grim. Death does not bring color. Neutral colors, especially browns, rule this space. Natural tones. A contrast between warm, earthy browns of the land and cool, gloomy tones of the dusk sky. We get one pop of color occasionally–it’s red. A dark, winter red.

We're drawing inspiration from films that embrace and explore the physical landscape of the world of the film (The Rider, Nomadland), films that play with stylized dreams and visions (Suspiria, Saint Maud, Under the Shadow), and films that capture the physical and structural of the piano (Nocturne, The Innkeepers).

Our team is a special group of women, non-binary, and Latinx people who are passionate about diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera.

SANTANA AGUIRRE - Writer / Director

Santana Aguirre is a writer, director, and audiovisual artist based in Los Angeles. She is drawn to themes of generational trauma, family dynamics, motherhood, daughterhood, and womanhood, and is especially interested in exploring these themes within the context of events surrounding death, loss, and mourning. Having grown up a musician, Santana aims to tell stories that bridge her skills in filmmaking with her passion for music. She believes in the power of aural experiences to enhance the storytelling process. She produces music in her free time and often composes the music for her own films. Santana currently attends the University of California, Los Angeles, where she majors in Film, Television, and Digital Media with a concentration in Narrative Directing. Find her work here.

EVE ROBITSHEK - Producer

Eve is an award-winning independent film producer based in Los Angeles whose experience expands both narrative and commercial production. Outside of freelance producing, Eve has interned for companies such as 42M&P, Big Beach, The Gotham Group, and Color Force, working in both management and creative development. Originally from the small town of Traverse City, Michigan, Eve currently attends UCLA’s School of Film and Television as a Producing concentration. As a queer filmmaker, Eve strives to produce stories of the human experience with compelling female characters and authentic, diverse, and groundbreaking LGBTQIA+ representations. When not building spreadsheets, she can be found tending to her many plants. Find her work here.

ALEX TURNER - Producer

Alex Turner is a producer, production designer, art director and set dresser based in Los Angeles. She is a recent graduate of UCLA’s School of Film and Television with a concentration in producing. Alongside her freelance work in production and the art department, she has interned for Blindlight, ReFrame, and Temple Hill. Alex aspires to continue working on media that tells the real stories of underrepresented groups.

SELA PIERCE - Cinematographer

Sela is a Director of Photography and Gaffer, originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. They are a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television, majoring in Film and Television with a concentration in Cinematography. Since beginning their career in the industry, Sela has worked their way into the commercial film landscape, working on set for Disney, Hailey Bieber, A24, Olivia O’Brien, The Food Network, and more. Their work has been featured at numerous film festivals, including Urbanworld Film Fest, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, QueerX Film Fest, Louisiana LGBT+ Film Fest, and New York Lift-Off Film Fest. As well as this, Sela is also currently working as an Assistant Editor on an independent documentary.

Victoria Tran - Production Designer

Victoria Tran is a production designer and art director based in Los Angeles. She is currently studying scenic and production design at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television. She is also an assistant architectural designer at a small design firm in San Marino. Victoria is deeply passionate about visual storytelling as a way to build connections and bring people together. Find her work here.

This short film would not be possible without you— our friends, family, and community.

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Help filmmaker @santanaguirre by supporting her film I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS, about a pianist who returns to the family ranch for her father’s funeral, forcing her to confront their complicated relationship. Follow them on Gofundme at gofundme.com/f/isyimdreams or find out more at linktr.ee/isyimdreams!

Follow us on Instagram! @isyimdreams

Want more information? Peek at our LinkTree!