To Grandmother’s House We Go...in the Wake of a Hurricane

Road trip!

Something happens when three generations become travel companions. In the upcoming family drama, “Hurricane Seasons,” a New York artist and her daughter, as well as her niece, embark on a last wish journey across Puerto Rico with the terminally ill family matriarch. Along the way, deep family secrets are revealed, as is the adventurous side of the abuela everyone only thought they knew. The journey becomes one of self-discovery for all.

“Hurricane Seasons” is set in New York and Puerto Rico, and stars Tony-winner Priscilla Lopez as matriarch Angela (“A Chorus Line,” “In The Heights”), superstar comedian Aida Rodriguez (“HBOMax Comedy Special: Fighting Words”) and Tony Nominee Justina Machado (“Real Women Have Curves,” “One Day At A Time”) portray her daughters, Glori and Esperanza, respectively, and Alycia Pascual-Pena (Odie) and Jearnest Corchado (Issa) as her granddaughters. The film also stars Elvis Nolasco and Carlos Ponce.

Written by Javier Ortiz, the story is based on his family experiencing his grandmother’s journey leaving this world. It is directed by New York native Nicole Gomez Fisher, an award-winning writer, director, and producer.

Even though the movie takes place circa Hurricane Maria, Fisher calls the natural disaster “a metaphor for a family going through a storm and finding their way; how they can survive and persevere– literally and figuratively–amongst the rubble of chaos, emotions, and the revealing of secrets and heartaches. It really comes down to acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding.”

Fisher, who generally tends to focus on women-forward films and a lot of situations with Latina women, states that this happened organically, adding, “It’s not really the choice that I say I want to work with Latinas versus anybody else. It just happens to be that I have a very strong connection to my mother. Having five females, as strong female voices, and being on the island where my mother grew up and having just such a connection to the culture and my people, made me feel incredibly connected and empathetic to her journey.”

The independent filmmaker makes clear that it’s important that storytelling be both universal and very specific. Says Fisher, “In this case, it’s a women’s journey. Strong women, whether Latina or not, who are fighting to be seen, heard, understood, and loved.”

She also explained that in the world of independent film, without big budgets for lots of action and locations, the success of the film boils down to the actors’ story. “With this particular movie,” Fisher says, “it was so important for me and Javier to stay as authentic to the characters as far as personalities go and to the island as we could. The one thing we really tried to do was cast people who had Puerto Rican heritage.”

Fisher describes the movie as a love story to the island and says one of the reasons that she loves the film, on top of everything else about it, is that it focuses on parts of it that tourists don’t know about and don’t see. “It doesn’t mean the impoverished side. It just means there’s just so much to the island that makes Puerto Ricans different than Mexicans, El Salvadorians, Dominicans, etc. So every one of our actors either grew up in Puerto Rico or have a mother or father who is Puerto Rican.”

During her 13 years in the director’s chair, Fisher has come to love working with flawed characters. “I love working with actors who can find ways to make the flaws either funny or relatable. For me, it’s always about the human connection. And when I talk to my actors, it’s always in terms of the character in their journey. It’s just important to me that the actors and I see eye to eye, and I like to give them a lot of leeway and freedom to discover their characters on set.”

For “Hurricane Seasons,” her sixth film, Fisher is grateful to have assembled such a stellar cast.

She sought out Rodriguez because “Glori needed grit, but also needed to have some sort of lightness, too.” Once again, she tapped Lopez, who’s been in all of Fisher’s films, because “just everything about her reminds me of my mother. She’s a brilliant actress and loved the idea of playing such a strong, steadfast character that was very defiant, and loving and caring all at the same time.”

She describes Ponce as being somebody who is just everything the character Yvonne is: “kind and sweet and unguarded, something that you might not expect.”

Of Machado, she boasts, “Justina is a brilliant actress. You almost don’t have to direct her. She just goes.” The Broadway and television actor’s character is the only one of the women who doesn’t go on the sojourn. Fisher says you understand why because Machado plays realistically a woman who watches her sibling go off to live life in NYC, while she acts as sole caregiver to her parents and simultaneously mothers her own daughter. The director adds, “Esperanza is bitter, angry, and tired, yet had to be likable, which meant Justina had to be empathetic. You can feel her anger and frustration is coming from a place of love.”

“Hurricane Seasons” is slated to come out in the fall, the time studios traditionally earmark for family films.

Currently helming post-production, Fisher says of her latest labor of love, “The bond, the feeling I got while shooting this film, is something I have not had on any other project.”

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel, “The Last Single Woman In New York City.”