‘Caracol Cruzando’ shows emigration from Costa Rica through the eyes of a child

“Caracol Cruzando” is a short animated film that portrays immigration through the eyes of a child.

Director and animator Pamela Maria Chavez, a Costa Rican now living in the United States, says the film is “loosely based on my immigration story.” It was featured as part of the PBS Online Film Festival.

As the film’s teaser reads:

Anais, a young Costa Rican girl, faces the hardest decision she’s ever had to make: should she sneak her best friend and pet turtle Tiku across the U.S. Miami border, or should she leave him behind? Anais’ relationship to the natural world around guides her through this heart wrenching decision, and the consequences that follow.

Watch “Caracol Cruzando” below:

“We’ve seen the dehumanizing rhetoric, the polarizing politics,” Maria Chavez said in an interview with PBS. “I wondered, is there a way to re-humanize without picking the conversation up from this negative paradigm?

“By telling this story from a child’s perspective, you have an opportunity to look at the motivations and implicit qualities that are required to make this journey – something genuine and authentic.”