Visitor's Day

A life-affirming story of resilience, hope and redemption.
by
Nico Opper
2017
75 mins

16 year-old runaway Juan Carlos returns home to forgive his father for the past.

Visitor's Day is a moving, often intimate documentary about this place...An interesting profile of an impressive program for troubled youth, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Video Librarian
Video Librarian

Synopsis

Sixteen year old Juan Carlos ran away from an abusive home and lived on the streets of Mexico City for years before finding his way to IPODERAC, a unique group home and social enterprise located in Puebla, MX. IPODERAC is defined by a strong sense of brotherhood and sustained by the sale of artisanal goat cheese.

Visitor’s Day is an observational documentary that follows Juan Carlos throughout the most transformative year of his life, as he finds the strength to return to Mexico City to overcome his sense of abandonment and forgive his father for the past. Along the way we watch other boys overcome their own obstacles with the support of the extraordinary staff at IPODERAC.

Reviews
With tenderness, intimacy, and patience, Opper's camera brings us into the rooms where the boys are taught techniques in self-love and self-respect. In these scenes, Visitor's Day becomes an essential tool for psychologists and social workers caring for younger populations...Further, as a documentary situated in the successful IPODERAC Center, Visitors Day presents a case-study in sustainable social service work. This makes Visitors Day an ideal tool for Sociology and Cultural Studies classrooms where students consider social change and social justice initiatives.
Giovanna Chesler
Director of the Film and Video Studies Program, George Mason University

Awards and Screenings
San Diego Latino Film Festival, 2017
Doc NYC, 2016
AFI Docs , 2016
Guadalajara Int'l Film Festival , 2017
Miami International Film Festival , 2016
Sebastopol Film Festival, 2016
Cine+Mas SF Latino Film Festival, 2016

Director Commentary

I first encountered the IPODERAC boys as an eighteen year old volunteer, and I was deeply moved by my experience there. The boys at IPODERAC come from all over the country. Most ran away to escape abuse and lived on the streets for months or years before they get here. Many of them have never been able to trust an adult before IPODERAC, but they quickly learn to become accountable to one another and to their adopted home. Eleven years after volunteering as a teenager, I unearthed the journal I kept during my time there. In it, I had vowed to come back and make a documentary about this place. I returned to IPODERAC to fulfill this promise.

Features and Languages

Subtitle/Caption Languages

  • English

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

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