Lisa Kennedy Every now and again, a documentary filmmaker finds a bona fide star to pin the meaning of her film on, a figure so compelling she leaves a comet trail of thoughts and feelings after the movie’s end.
Isabel Castro’s “Mija” boasts two: music manager Doris Muñoz and singer Jacks Haupt. Make that three, including the writer-director herself.
Castro’s debut feature deals with heartache and vulnerability but also shimmers with joy and genuine insight.We first meet Doris as she peruses the aisles of a Dulceria store in San Bernardino, Ca., the city her parents immigrated to from Mexico with their two young sons.
Doris is shopping for a birthday party. Hers, it turns out. “I’m a birthday queen,” the dark-haired, tattooed Muñoz confesses.
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