Ends and Means
Illustration By Jenna Tibby
Three Santa Monica College (SMC) short films were screened during the 29th annual Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival between July 16-28 at Regal Cinemas in downtown Los Angeles. The films titled No Return, Fear and Treble, and Ends and Means were selected for the “Live Action” category as part of the 350 film lineup.
“Ends and Means,” directed by SMC alum, Karly Kato Bang follows the journey of Milagros (Maria Montenegro), a Mexican immigrant and Santa Monica housekeeper. While working for high power film producer Frank (Bobby Appelbaum), a well to do investor wanting to get into film is invited to dinner. Loyalties between Milagros and Frank are tested as this guest has suspicious ties to demons from Milagros’ past in Mexico.
As production begins on the films at SMC, students are offered the opportunity to apply for production positions. The youngest in the class, and struggling with imposter syndrome, Bang initially had no intention of applying to direct.
“The thought of directing was terrifying,” she said.
The encouragement from her friends and family pushed her to take the leap and apply for the position. Growing up in Santa Monica and being of half Japanese and half Korean descent, Bang found a connection to the script and main character through her own mother.
“The main character has a daughter who is her entire world. I have a really close relationship with my mom. She is my hero. I saw myself in the story because my mom would do anything for me, much like Milagros,” she said.
When she was chosen to be the director, Bang said, “Everyone started telling me they were excited to see my vision come to life. I had no idea what my vision even was. I had no idea what I was even doing.”
Throughout the film, Bang found herself not only growing professionally but personally.
“Outside of the technical aspects like creating shotlists and floor plans, the whole process taught me a lot about leadership. I learned that my voice is my vision. My lived experience is the value I bring to the story,” Bang said.
She credits her mentors in the SMC film program for helping guide her through the many stages of the production process such as collecting signatures for permits, filming, and post production editing.
As an NYU film graduate and award winning director, Professor Salvador Carrasco brings his own expertise to filmmaking at SMC.
“A lot of what I’m doing at the SMC Film Program is what I wish had been done with me when I was a filmmaking student, or what I wish I had been able to do when I taught at other institutions,” Carrasco said.
SMC offers a state of the art hands on approach to filmmaking that rivals most high profile, private film academies giving everyone access to the artform. In 2023 a Bachelor of Science in Film Production at Los Angeles Film School was projected to cost a student upwards of $80,000.
“Filmmaking needs to be taught in situ, not on a whiteboard. And if you’re more interested in ‘doing your thing’ than in being taught, you’re probably in the wrong place. The ideal model is a combination of both: Allow yourself to be taught in school, and then later go apply it on your own in a new, different context, discerning what works for you and what doesn’t,” said Carrasco.
While guiding Bang through the process, he says she thrived despite the natural fear that comes with stepping into any new role in life.
“Karly understood from the get-go that ‘Ends and Means’ is an exploration of claustrophobia, fear, and trauma through the universal prism of the human condition, so she engaged in copious research to convincingly portray the specificity of Mexican American culture,” Carrasco said.
The professor also credits screenwriter and SMC alum, Alci Rengifo, for creating a storyline that highlights the realities of survivors of Latin American guerrilla warfare. Much like Bang, Rengifo says he drew from the experiences of his own mother and others with similar backgrounds.
“I grew up in a home of immigrant parents who carried plenty of historical baggage. My mother in particular moved to the U.S. in the late ‘70s when the Salvadoran Civil War, one of the last bloody conflicts of the Cold War, was about to erupt,” Rengifo said.
A former Corsair editor, Rengifo found himself returning to a story he had written in 2014 about a fellow student whose brother was missing. The story chronicled the abduction of Javier Cisneros by a Mexican drug cartel, and his sister Nansi’s quest to find him.
Nansi and Javier had grown up in Los Angeles, but after a fight with an undercover police officer, Javier was deported to Tala, Mexico. In October of 2013 a group of men pulled up to the house where the young man lived and kidnapped him at gunpoint.
The article describes the moment of Javier’s abduction saying,
“His mother, who lives six houses down, came out when she heard shots fired. She watched as the men dragged her son away from the house and into the car.”
"Mom, me van a matar," he screamed, which means "Mom, they are going to kill me."
Following the kidnapping, Javier’s mother frantically chased after the truck on foot. With no support from Mexican authorities, nearly 12 years later, Javier is still missing.
A mothers love and devotion to her child is woven throughout the character makeup of Milagros.
“A single mother is a perfect storytelling vehicle for exploring the human idea of defying a state when its own laws are inhuman. Fine, she’s undocumented, but does that take away her right to care for her daughter? Is there anything immoral in that?” Rengifo said.
Like many who witness violence and escape, Milagros is faced with the guilt of survival.
“L.A. is full of Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, etc. who were involved from the left and right in the guerrilla movements and death squads of the era, now probably delivering Uber eats or running businesses,” says Rengifo.
Actress Maria Montenegro played the role of Milagros; A mother herself, she looked to the lessons from her own children to prepare for the role.
“My children taught me the meaning of unconditional love, compassion, patience, and unbelievable inner strength. This is what I wanted to bring to Milagros,” Montenegro said.
The film's cinematic debut during a summer of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and protests in Southern California offers a glimpse into the fears of those whose lives are impacted.
“I feel like characters like Milagros help us connect emotionally to each other and can bring understanding without judgement,” Montenegro said.
While her list of films and TV appearances grows, Montenegro said, “I am extremely proud to have worked with every single person who took part in this film. It was and continues to be one of my greatest experiences as an actress.”
Ends and Means will continue to play at different film festivals across the country in the next year. It was announced in late August the film will be screened during the annual Seattle Film Festival.