Movies

In the sensitively observed drama “I’m No Longer Here,” the mellow rhythm of cumbia music is the soundtrack to the life of Ulises (Juan Daniel García), a laconic 17-year-old in Monterrey, Mexico. He belongs to Los Terkos, a youth dance crew in the area, and his style and grade-A dance moves make him a leader among the group. But when a misunderstanding with a local cartel puts Ulises in their cross hairs, he is forced to leave Mexico or risk being killed.Now streaming on Netflix, the film opens on its lead character saying goodbye to his homeland. The story then intercuts between his lively days in Monterrey and his struggle to survive as an immigrant in the New York City neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens. There, Ulises is treated as either an unwelcome outsider or an object of cultural fascination. He finds an eager friend in the 16-year-old Lin (Angelina Chen), who becomes entranced by Ulises after she finds him sheltering on the roof of her grandfather’s bodega.[embedded content]The writer-director Fernando Frías de la Parra, whose directing credits include the first season of the HBO series “Los Espookys,” renders Ulises’ difficulties with an admirable light touch. Through wide shots and long pans, the film surveys the character’s distinct environments, highlighting the gap between his community in Monterrey and his alienation in Queens. Music also serves as a symbol of the culture Ulises left behind; on multiple occasions, he tries to share cumbia with American acquaintances who can’t quite engage in its joy.At points, the story drags. But “I’m No Longer Here” offers an authentic portrait of a boy adrift from home. The film is most alive while plumbing teen counterculture in Monterrey, where Los Terkos — played by nonprofessional actors — are as natural haggling with a local shopkeeper as they are dancing to their favorite tunes. Frías de la Parra is thoughtful and precise in conveying the cultural identity of these young people, and their spirit pulses through the story.I’m No Longer HereNot rated. In Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. Watch on Netflix. More

LOS ANGELES — The coronavirus pandemic complicated what may have been the most crucial weeks of Sarah Aubrey’s Hollywood career. As the head of original programming at HBO Max, the streaming platform that went live on Wednesday, she has the power to say yes to shows and films that will be seen by millions. But she has also had to contend with 30 productions that were shut down and three homebound children, ages 6, 10 and 17.In the week leading up to the launch of an ambitious on-demand video service built to challenge Netflix, Aubrey made sure the children had their breakfasts and were ready for school, via Zoom, by 9 a.m. Then she got back to work, checking in with showrunners and filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh.His first film for the platform, “Let Them All Talk,” starring Meryl Streep, will be ready later this year. He may also be the first HBO Max filmmaker to restart production. To Aubrey, his decades behind the camera make him the perfect candidate. And it doesn’t hurt that he was the director of “Contagion,” the 2011 film that now seems oddly prescient.“I think it would be borderline malpractice to send someone who is not an experienced hand onto a set right now,” Aubrey said during an interview at her Los Angeles home. “You need your 10,000 hours to manage this kind of situation.”And Aubrey would know, for the producer-turned-studio executive earned her own 10,000 hours producing films and television shows for over a decade before transitioning to the corporate suite.Dressed in a salmon jumpsuit, metallic Birkenstocks and white socks, she looked more like a bohemian denizen of her Studio City neighborhood than a powerful executive. Even at the pandemic-appropriate distance of six feet, the charm on her necklace was not hard to see: “1973,” the year of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.“It often elicits interesting conversations,” Aubrey said. “Plus, it’s an easier way to talk about feminism without me having to wear my ‘Feminist AF’ T-shirt.”Aubrey is the highest-ranking woman at HBO Max. She works under Kevin Reilly, the head of content, Robert Greenblatt, the head of entertainment, and Jason Kilar, the division’s recently named chief executive. A main order of business for AT&T, after its purchase of Time Warner for $85.4 billion, was the creation of a major digital platform that would unite all the disparate units of Warner Media: Warner Bros, HBO, Cartoon Network, CNN and TNT, among others, in one service. The company plans to invest more than $4 billion in HBO Max, which has arrived late to the streaming party at a cost of $15 a month, a higher price than Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus and Hulu.Aubrey, 48, said she sees her role as an opportunity to build a team that can help move the company into the future. “I have some kick-ass, adult, really ambitious, kind people who work for me,” she said. “And it’s like 80-percent female.”She considers herself fortunate to be in digital media at this moment.“This is a once-in-a-career opportunity, to be on the ground floor of something like this,” Aubrey said. “It’s not only streaming — which is where everyone wants to be — but I know everyone inside this company. There is jet fuel sitting here.”Programs that have received the green light on her watch include “Love Life,” an unapologetic rom-com series starring Anna Kendrick, and “Legendary,” a competition show set in the underground ballroom scene. The first film she commissioned, “Tokyo Vice,” from the director Michael Mann and starring Ansel Elgort, was shut down after five days of shooting in Japan because of the virus. Aubrey thinks it, too, has a chance to start up again soon. More