Winner of awards at Buenos Aires, Lima and the Grand Jury Prize in Miami, this first feature-length documentary by Director Yulene Olaizoia is a lifetime in the making. Breathing in the colorful stories of her grandmother Rosa Elena Carbajal as a child, Olaizoia now brings the audience to the intimate world of Rosa’s lodging house on the corner of Shakespeare and Victor Hugo streets in Mexico City. The intricate tale that the incomparable Rosa weaves is about a former lodger, Jorge Riosse, who Rosa describes as a genius, an artist, a musician and possibly a murderer.

Rosa was clearly impressed by the young Riosse, as he was by her — he even referred to her as his muse. But the further she let herself fall into a resilient bond with him, the more she began to see a different side of the unsettled artist. She recalls he defensively stated to her on many occasions that he was not a homosexual. His rapid mood and personality changes led Rosa to self-diagnose him as a schizophrenic. Although Riosse twisted his life into chaos, leading to tragedy, Rosa remained a steady friend. She still talks about the possible connection of Riosse to the serial murders that happened in Mexico City during his time at her house.

Decades after his departure, you can still feel Riosse — his love, his art, and his mystery, in every fiber of the house — and the film. — SEAN KRAINERT