SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Marcela Heilbron’s fantasy short, Panadrilo, is an odd story of the faith of one’s family to one day reunite…no matter what. Our tale opens at a public zoo, where patrons watch a crocodile devour a bird. When the crocodile is done, he poses a question about the mysteries of faith serving as the theme of Panadrilo.
Soon, zookeeper Camila (Genesis del Monte) pulls out her cell phone with her daughter on the other end, who is in New York. She calls out to her father, and the crocodile responds. It appears the crocodile swallowed Camila’s husband, and he has become intertwined with the creature. Their daughter wants to be reunited with her mother and father soon.

“…the crocodile swallowed Camila’s husband, and he has become intertwined with the creature.”
As her shift is about to end, Camila is pulled into a meeting with her boss. Immigration has been by, and he wants to speak with Camila. Her boss gives her money to hide in the city, but instead, Camila meets up with a taxi driver, who takes her to a local crocodile farm, and this is when things get weird.
I’m in love with the weird fantasy nature of Panadrilo. I believe it was shot in Panama on film for a very old-school 70s vibe…along with a fusion jazz soundtrack from that era. Sometimes, the crisp, clean lines of digital film take away the “magic” that so many stories of love and family are missing these days.
The charm comes from its weirdness and the bizarre methods a mother would take to reunite with her daughter. It’s existential in nature, but a mother’s got to do what a mother’s got to do.
Panadrilo can be described in three words: wonderful, sweet, and weird.
Panadrilo screened at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.