Fernando and Salvador embark on an expedition across northern Mexico to find the culprit behind the traffic accident that claimed their father’s life. Their uninvited stepsister Paula decides to join them, and the long-awaited cool revenge doesn’t unfold as smoothly as intended, but their lives will never be the same after this journey concludes. In the debut feature film by Mariana Arriaga and Santiago Arriaga, you can sense subtle hints of the small episodes they experienced alongside the landscapes during their childhood travels with their father. Written by their father Guillermo Arriaga (award-winning scenarist of The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Babel) and directed by his own children, Upon Open Sky takes on the appearance of a road movie, following the search for culprits and the plotting of revenge, while at its core, it’s a poignant coming-of-age story. As they travel the roads beneath the wide-open sky, the film’s theme gradually shifts from vengeance to atonement. The children, learning the difficulty of fully embracing the sadness of loss as much as forgiving enemies, grow up in a profound manner. (Karen PARK)