Summary

In “Elisa, 1959,” the Perez sisters and family are lined up in the Rancho-Boyeros Airport, getting ready to fly to the United States. They are wearing their finest clothing, appearing as if they are going on a vacation. However, this is a façade. The Perez family is worried, and doing everything possible to hide it. Their trip isn’t for pleasure or business. They are leaving out of necessity.

Elisa’s younger sister, Maria, doesn’t understand the danger that they are all in. She asks how long they will be gone, and their father, Emilio, silences her with a look. The truth is, not even Emilio can guess how long they will be forced into exile.

The one thing that Elisa knows for sure is that the Perez family has to leave, without question. They are the very image of everything that...