Unravelling Desire, Memory, and Cultural Silence in I Dream in Another Language

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In a remote Mexican village wrapped in myth and memory, language becomes more than a tool. I Dream in Another Language poignantly traces the frayed bond between two men silenced by repression and time. Through the fictional idiom of Zikril—a tongue heard only by birds and the dying jungle—director Ernesto Contreras and screenwriter Carlos Contreras weave a story where forbidden love and fading culture become one.

I Dream in Another Language was directed by Ernesto Contreras and written by Carlos Contreras, his brother. Their collaboration brings a deeply personal and poetic touch to the film, blending linguistic anthropology with emotional storytelling.

Ernesto, known for his lyrical visual style, also served as President of the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences. Carlos crafted the screenplay with a sensitivity to cultural nuance and emotional resonance, drawing inspiration from stories of language loss and forbidden love. Carlos’s writing often carries a quiet intensity—his characters speak through silence, gesture, and metaphor.

Their shared vision helped the film win the Audience Award for World Cinema Dramatic at Sundance—a testament to its universal themes and haunting beauty.

Streaming & Rental Platforms

  • Prime Video – Available to rent or buy.
  • YouTube Movies – You can rent or buy the film directly through YouTube’s platform.
  • Plex – Offers free streaming with ads. No subscription required.
  • Yidio – Aggregates rental options from various platforms like iTunes and Google Play.

Their Creative Dynamic

Carlos typically takes the lead as screenwriter, crafting emotionally resonant narratives that explore identity, injustice, and cultural nuance. Ernesto then interprets these scripts through his directorial lens, infusing them with lyrical visuals, atmospheric tension, and a deep sensitivity to character and place.

Their process is rooted in shared values: a commitment to telling stories that challenge stereotypes, elevate marginalised voices, and explore the emotional architecture of human experience. For example, in Crossing Borders, Carlos wrote the script based on a true story of a Guatemalan immigrant wrongfully accused of murder, while Ernesto directed with a focus on cultural empathy and visual storytelling.

They trust each other’s instincts—Carlos builds the emotional scaffolding, and Ernesto brings it to life with cinematic texture. Their collaboration is often described as a “dream team” by producers, thanks to their ability to balance intimacy and scale, as well as political urgency and poetic nuance.

Core Inspirations for I Dream in Another Language

Director Ernesto Contreras was deeply influenced by his grandmother, who spoke Zapoteco, an indigenous language of Mexico. Her stories and linguistic heritage sparked his interest in the emotional and cultural weight of endangered languages.

A 2011 article claimed that the last two speakers of the dying Mexican language Ayapa Zoque refused to speak to each other due to a personal feud. Though later debunked, this story captured the imagination of the filmmakers and became a metaphor for how personal conflict can mirror cultural loss.

The film also draws from the broader history of Spanish colonisation, which led to the erasure of indigenous languages and traditions. Contreras saw the film as a way to explore not just language extinction, but the loss of identity, knowledge, and ancestral connection.

Contreras described the film as a chance to speak about “language, but also about a loss of identity… culture, knowledge, roots, traditions.” He chose to invent the fictional language Zikril out of respect for real communities still fighting to preserve their tongues.

Structural Overview

I Dream in Another Language unfolds with a layered, emotionally resonant narrative structure that blends realism, magical elements, and temporal shifts to deepen its themes of memory, identity, and reconciliation.

The film follows a three-act structure, but it’s enriched by nonlinear storytelling and symbolic framing.

Linguist Martín arrives in a remote village to document Zikril, a dying language. He discovers the last two speakers—Isauro and Evaristo—haven’t spoken in 50 years due to a mysterious feud. The jungle and its mystical aura are introduced as a living presence, setting the tone for magical realism. Martín attempts to reconcile the men, uncovering layers of history through flashbacks and village lore.

Fernando Álvarez Rebeil as Martín

The supposed love triangle involving Evaristo’s late wife is revealed to be a cover for a forbidden queer love between the two men.

Flashbacks are used to reveal the true nature of the men’s relationship and the emotional rupture. Through Magical Realism, birds respond to speech, the jungle whispers, and the afterlife is tangible, blurring reality and myth. Symbolically, the cave, the lullaby in Zikril, and the absence of subtitles during key scenes emphasise emotional distance and outsider perspective.

The film’s structure mirrors an emotional arc, where language is both the barrier and the bridge, with Zikril acting as a vessel for unspoken truths.

Hoze Meléndez as Young Isauro, Nicolasa Ortíz Monasterio as María, and Juan Pablo de Santiago as Young Evaristo

I Dream in Another Language shares thematic DNA with many of Mexico’s most celebrated films

I Dream in Another Language stands apart in Mexican cinema for its lyrical fusion of linguistic anthropology, queer love, and magical realism.

Contreras’ film is more rural, mystical, and emotionally intimate than the nonlinear Amores Perros (2000) which is filled with gritty realism dealing with themes of urban chaos, fractured love, and class divide.

Exploring the fading worlds and emotional silence, the poetic realism of the autobiographical Roma (2018) is grounded in historical realism.

The magical realism and sensuality of Like Water for Chocolate (1992) shares I Dream’s emotional metaphor and cultural critique, but focuses on gender roles, dealing with repressed desire, food as emotion, and tradition.

As with the dark fantasy and magical realism of Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), both films use myth to explore repression, but Pan’s is more allegorical and violent.

Contreras’ film is more symbolic and linguistically driven than the tender realism, loneliness, and intergenerational friendship depicted in Cosas Imposibles (2021).

The surreal, ghostly realism of Pedro Páramo (2024) shares I Dream’s blurred lines between life and death, but is more abstract and literary.

José Manuel Poncelis as Isauro and Eligio Meléndez as Evaristo

What Makes I Dream in Another Language Unique

  • Invented Language as Emotional Architecture: Unlike other Mexican films that use real dialects or Spanish, Zikril is a fictional tongue designed to express what other languages cannot.
  • Queer Love as Cultural Resistance: The forbidden romance between Isauro and Evaristo is not just personal—it’s a metaphor for silenced identities and erased histories.
  • Magical Realism with Ecological Spirituality: The jungle responds to speech, birds echo human emotion, and the afterlife is linguistically gated—creating a mystical ecosystem of memory and voice.

Notable gay-themed Mexican films that span decades and styles:

Mexico’s queer cinema is rich, layered, and often daring—blending emotional intimacy with cultural critique. Here’s a curated selection of notable gay-themed Mexican films that span decades and styles:

  • Many of these films challenge machismo culture and explore how queerness intersects with Mexican identity.
  • Directors like Hermosillo and Ripstein were pioneers, crafting complex queer characters long before mainstream acceptance.
  • Recent works like Casa Roshell and I Promise You Anarchy push boundaries with experimental formats and fluid identities, reflecting a shift toward more inclusive storytelling.

Landmark & Contemporary Titles: Arturo Ripstein’s The Place Without Limits (El Lugar Sin Límites, 1978) features queerness, power, and gender fluidity in rural Mexico; Jaime Humberto Hermosillo’s Appearances Are Deceptive (Las apariencias engañan, 1983) deals with Identity, gender, and societal norm; Hermosillo’s Dona Herlinda and Her Son (1985) features family dynamics, closeted love, and societal expectations; Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También (2001) deals with bisexuality, machismo, and emotional repression; Rigoberto Perezcano’s Carmin Tropical (2014) focuses on Trans identity, a murder mystery and small-town prejudice; Julio Hernández Cordón’s I Promise You Anarchy (Te prometo anarquía, 2015) features queer youth, class divide, and urban decay; Camila José Donoso’s Casa Roshell (2017) includes gender fluidity, drag, and political resistance; and Ernesto Contreras’ Cosas Imposibles (2021) highlights emotional healing, intergenerational friendship, and queer subtext.

Films Directed by Ernesto Contreras

  • Blue Eyelids (Párpados azules, 2007): A melancholic tale of loneliness and connection, nominated for the Caméra d’Or at Cannes.
  • The Obscure Spring (Las oscuras primaveras, 2014): A sensual, atmospheric drama about forbidden desire.
  • Impossible Things (Cosas imposibles, 2021): A tender story of an unlikely friendship between a lonely woman and a troubled teenager.
  • Where the Tracks End (El Último Vagón, 2023): A Netflix release that explores childhood and education in rural Mexico.
  • Tales of Mexico (Historias de México, 2016): An anthology film; Ernesto directed the segment “Eroticism”.
  • Dad or Mom (Papá o Mamá, 2023): A comedy-drama about parenting and personal reinvention.

He’s also directed acclaimed TV series like El Chapo, Falco, Belascoarán, PI, and Tengo que morir todas las noches—the latter won Best Director at SeriesMania in France.

Films Written by Carlos Contreras

  • Blue Eyelids (2007): Co-written with Ernesto, this film marked their breakout collaboration.
  • The Obscure Spring (2014): A screenplay that dives into emotional repression and desire.
  • I Dream in Another Language (2017): His most celebrated work, blending linguistic anthropology with queer love.
  • El Chapo (2017–2018): Co-creator of the series chronicling the rise and fall of the infamous drug lord.