Jazmin Garcia's Short Film ‘Work It Out’ Is an LA Take on a Stockholm Happening

Somesuch director Jazmin Garcia has launched a new short film, Work It Out. You can watch the short on Nowness here.

It’s a response/expansion to her brother, Serge Garcia’s short film where one long static shot (35mm) captures him, as the protagonist, eating Pad Thai at a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden. 'Work it Out' is also the name of Serge’s latest track under the moniker “Serge G”.

Director Jazmin explains: "Serge asked me to make a music video for him, and as a defensive reaction, I decided to make a short film instead (or more like a really expensive letter to him). It became an attempt to communicate things that are often unspoken, words that get stuck in one's throat when trying to work shit out with a sibling.

"In my version, 5,000 miles away in Mid City, Los Angeles, a young man dines at a local Guatemalan ceviche spot. We witness the quotidian aspects of the small restaurant environment that lead us to the experience of this solitary man’s world, eating his favourite food, while the house /techno beats of Gordo’s (Serge’s musical alter ego) music blasts in the background.

"As this young man dines on the L.A. streets, tostadas topped with fresh shrimp ceviche conjure up a nostalgic and sentimental mood. An intentional phone call reveals a short, but meaningful conversation about manhood and dreams. A surreal vision of male/femme dancers takes us into a dynamic world of dance.

"We seamlessly transition back and forth between the real world of the young man’s phone call at the Cevicheria with the dreamy visuals of dance. The song itself goes back and forth between background diegetic sound & a pulsating music video club track.

"Music, food, and dance all become conduits for connection, growth, and catharsis. Narratively, It’s a quotidian glimpse of a young man trying to “Work It Out” with his sister. Realistically, it’s my attempt at working out the constant conflict and disconnection with my brother.

"We were born in Los Angeles, CA in the mid-80s to immigrant parents from Mexico and Guatemala. The dots along our personal arc, and our work, however autonomous and independent; or however far away (Serge now lives in Berlin and Jazmin lives in Mexico City), somehow always link back to this simple fact. If there is one thing that binds us even more is the love for our late father, Leonidas Augusto Garcia, to whom we dedicate so much of our work and gratitude.

"This film showcases how hard it is to be vulnerable, to deal with grief, to be in a constant battle with ingrained machismo. It ultimately asks: what does it mean to be a good man? And how do you explore that question when you no longer have a father to seek guidance from? How do you break generational trauma and try to be better versions of yourselves?

"In the film a dreamlike sequence of dancers move in sync to the pulsating beats of Gordo’s song “Work it Out” in a sleek and dynamic visual presentation. Dancers are highlighted in unique and captivating moves reminiscent of 90s house and electronica. For me dance is a liberatory space, and the surreal club-like environment becomes a cathartic ritual for dancers to “work out” their emotions and transcend the societal constraints of machismo."