Esta Isla (Tribeca 2025) Review & Summary

Esta Isla, a love letter to Puerto Rico, uses its character to showcase the island and treats them almost like subjects of a documentary.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Esta Isla” Film Details

  • Released On: In Theaters
  • Public Release Date: June 7, 2025 (Get Tickets)
  • Director(s): Lorraine Jones Molina, Cristian Carretero
  • Writer(s): Lorraine Jones Molina, Cristian Carretero, Kisha Tikina Burgos
  • Genre(s): Drama, Young Adult, Non-English (Spanish)
  • Rating: Not Rated

Summary

In Puerto Rico, for many, the beauty of the island doesn’t equally match the opportunity. Bebo, for example, with limited English, can’t even work at a resort to make more than minimum wage, and while fishing is a job he can do, the money is inconsistent, and getting ripped off is the only thing that can be guaranteed.

Now, thankfully his older brother, Charlie, does have the kind of job access that makes money but with him conflicting with the local gangs through what he does, there comes a point when Bebo is forced to run for his own safety, and he leaves with a girl named Lola who has her own struggles at home.

But, how far can you run on an island that, honestly, you don’t want to leave? Never mind, how can you leave when you barely make enough to survive?

Cast and Characters

Bebo (Zion Ortiz)

  • Character Summary: Bebo is Charlie’s little brother, struggling like many regarding the lack of opportunities there are, especially for those who don’t speak English or have connections.

Charlie (Audicio Robles)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Charlie is Bebo’s older brother, a father of two, who is doing his best to make a living. Sometimes, through means his grandmother wouldn’t approve, but with vendors being inconsistent with payment and good money hard to make, Charlie does what he can to make ends meet.

Lola (Fabiola Brown)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Lola is a young woman whom Bebo dates who comes from money. But, as is made clear, not all money is good money, and the assumed privileges she has come at a cost.

Why Is “Esta Isla” Not Rated?

  • Dialog:
    • Cursing: Occasional
    • Discriminatory Language: No
    • Innuendo: None
    • Suicide Mentions: No
  • Violence:
    • Gun Violence: Present
    • Violence Against Animals: No
    • Violence Against Children: No
    • Domestic Violence: No
    • Gore/ Blood: Light
    • Body Horror: No
    • Notable Violence: Murder
  • Sexual Content:
    • Nudity: Implied
    • Sexual Situations: None
    • Sexual Violence: No
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Drinking: No
    • Drug Use: Smoking
    • Vomiting: No
    • Smoking: No
    • Vermin: None

Links

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

How Lovingly Puerto Rico is Shown and Culture Talked About [86/100]

With Esta Isla, translated: This Island being named what it is, it’s only natural for Puerto Rico to be presented so strongly that it is presented as not a place, but something that’s alive. Whether it is showing the sides of it where the rich or working class live, giving us a view into the mountains, the farms, or even speaking about Taino culture, what Esta Isla gives us is a place that isn’t for vacations, but where people live, work, and call home.

Too often, when you hear about Puerto Rico, especially if you are from the mainland United States, you meet people who left for similar reasons to Bebo, such as lack of opportunity, and Esta Isla doesn’t try to paint a rosy or tourist attraction picture of the island. But, it does everything it can to help you understand the longing, the wish that there wasn’t a need to leave, and there are even mentions of the finger pointing that likely still happens.

Is the issue the dominance of a certain class? Could it be the government or an over-reliance on tourism with no love for locals? Is it time for a revolution? The way Esta Isla operates rarely makes it seem it wants to be a call to action, in a direct way. However, it does show that the perception of Puerto Rico can be easily skewed one direction or another, and somehow, everyone can be right and wrong about the island at the same time. It existed before they were born and will continue after they die. Because of the resilience of the people, whether they live and thrive in Puerto Rico, the mainland United States, elsewhere, or struggle, the island will still be part of them and leave its mark.

On The Fence

The Themes Are Stronger Than The Characters Or Story [75/100]

What might be found strange about Esta Isla is that it is aptly titled, for, as noted by the highlight, it is genuinely about the island, and Puerto Rico feels like the main thing that gets fleshed out. So, while we may follow Bebo, Lola, and Charlie, meet their friends and family, learn about their deceased parents, and more, they feel less like full-fledged characters and more like entities who simply exist on the island.

Perhaps the best way to put it is that they seem to all exist to give perspective. Bebo, who lacks the rungs on the socio-economic ladder to advance beyond his current position, represents the working class. He is the type who needs that strong community the island offers to make a life or living, for trying to live isolated in such a place means certain death – if not immense suffering.

Yet, through Lola, we’re reminded that even those well off aren’t necessarily living in the type of excess that should be envied. Lola’s father was a revolutionary who, is not in her life. So, with her mom abandoned, she married a man who seems to want her and her mom. Yes, she has what appears to be an estate, but at what cost?

In a way, Esta Isla seems less to care about your investment in specific people as much as it wants to give you a sense of who lives in Puerto Rico, a taste of their lives, and again, it wants to strip away the commercial and give you what the cameras don’t always show. Ultimately making it so Lola, Bebo, Charlie, and the others, they feel like people who the camera focuses on, like when you watch a documentary, rather than characters written with the intent to hook you, make you want to look up the actor, and take away from the star truly being Puerto Rico.

Overall

Our Rating (80/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)

Esta Isla stands out for how deeply it immerses you in Puerto Rico’s landscape, culture, and social dynamics. Rather than treating the island as a mere backdrop, the film presents Puerto Rico as a living, breathing character—vividly showcasing its working-class communities, lush mountains, and cultural heritage, with mention of its Taino history. The movie focuses on crafting a version of Puerto Rico that exists beyond the tourist lens, as it gives voice to the complexities of living there, the systemic issues that drive people away, and the longing that remains for what the island could be.

However, while Esta Isla deserves praise for how it presents the island, especially since it finds a way to avoid being pitched as a tourist paradise, while still romanticizing it enough to convey the longing of its history and potential, it may not be for everyone. In being focused on making Puerto Rico feel alive and defining Puerto Rican identity, Bebo, Lola, and Charlie seem designed to embody particular perspectives or social strata, rather than serve as deeply engaging individuals.

This leads to them offering insight and perspective, but not necessarily depth or narrative drive. This makes Esta Isla feel more like a living portrait of a place than a traditional character-driven story, for the island is the undeniable star. As a result, the emotional connection to each character’s personal journey may feel limited. But even so, their presence helps construct a powerful mosaic of Puerto Rican identity—one that doesn’t ask to be sold or simplified, but understood.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.