FILM SYNOPSIS
Rodrigue is a newly arrived refugee from war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, who, along with his mother and six siblings, is struggling to adapt to life in Lowell, Massachusetts. Training to become a community health worker at the local clinic, he ultimately aspires to be a social worker to help his community heal from trauma. Socheat, a Cambodian immigrant, seeks tools to combat the stress of supporting her aging parents, teenage daughter, and disabled brother on a manicurist’s salary. The entire family experiences the benefits of meditation classes and culturally tailored wellness approaches at the health center. Sue, a nurse to both families, examines the continued impact of her own traumatic experiences, thriving in the U.S. after surviving the genocide in Cambodia and now supporting others to do the same.
Across the country in Oakland, California, Edgar and Yania, a young couple from Mexico and Uruguay, provide healing to their community through outreach to day laborers and Spanish-language yoga classes. Their aspirations to become a social worker and a nurse are threatened by possible deportation due to their tenuous immigration status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). At the same health clinic, Norma, a Guatemalan immigrant, provides interpretation into her community’s indigenous Mayan language, while she watches new arrivals from her homeland fight for asylum and safety.
Common ground and chance connection join these unique stories as the film humanizes those who have migrated here, sharing their wisdom and perspectives that enrich and strengthen our communities. This is more critical than ever with the devastating effects that COVID-19 is having on communities of color and immigrant populations. A PLACE TO BREATHE moves audiences to envision new understandings of wellness for all.
Like the film on Facebook and follow us on Instagram.
Director/Producer - Michelle Grace Steinberg
Producer - Robyn Bykofsky
Cinematographer and Editor - Michelle Grace Steinberg
Co-Editor - Shirley Gutierrez
Animators - Héloïse Dorsan Rachet, Anna Benner
Composer - E.E. Bradman
For more details on the clinics featured in the project see:
Lowell Community Health Center/Metta Health Center
To donate, please visit our fiscal sponsor:
