Performance in the Eibenhof culture barn

Festival Preview

Rico lives with his family in the Bronx. The summer seems carefree: he sells nutcracker drinks on the street, flirts and drifts through the days. But when his girlfriend Destiny moves in with him temporarily, the family situation begins to unravel. Between confinement, responsibility and escalating conflicts, a quiet coming-of-age begins - faster than anyone involved would like.

In his debut film, director Joel Alfonso Vargas takes a loving, unagitated look at youthful exuberance, family pressure and the tough hopes for advancement in a precarious New York. Mad Pills to Pay is a study of a milieu that doesn't take control of its characters, but gives them space - with energy, warmth and local color.

Winner of the NEXT Special Jury Award.

The screening will be followed by a film talk with director Joel Alfonso Vargas.