The Most Beautiful Island

A thirty-something Spanish immigrant arrives in New York with hopes of recuperating from a recent tragedy. She barely makes a living carrying out odd jobs, when a mysterious, but lucrative, job offer changes everything. When it’s too late to back out, she discovers that the woman who sent her to the designated address, led her to a lion’s den. Asensio’s first feature film, winner of the top prize at the prestigious SXSW Festival, is a nerve-racking thriller that sheds light on one of the darkest corners of the American dream cliché in which employment often involves degradation, exposure, and in extreme cases, self-sacrifice. The film’s ferocity is largely due to Asensio’s (in the lead role) expressive countenance.