Lia Garcia

You’d never know this is your home away from home. The surveillance camera outside shows a drab reception area and an unremarkable street in Mexico City; inside, the lights flash, but the tables are empty. Yet preparations are soon underway and fixed categories cease to apply: stubble is removed, make-up applied and strands of hair are teased into place; the camera is trained not on the men themselves, but what they see in the mirror.

During her 18th birthday celebration, Mer, a young woman with Down syndrome, makes an important decision: she wants to get her driver's license. However, almost no one at the table seems to support her, which triggers a mixture of frustration and envy in Mer towards her older sister, Paloma, who is becoming increasingly independent.