Esto me dio duro….
🙁
Just days before many of us gather around for Rosca de Reyes, Bad Bunny, the cultural force who has transformed the global music scene, gives us something even more unexpected than pitorro and coquito. His new 13-minute short film Debí Tirar Más Fotos dropped on January 3rd, wrapping us in nostalgia and a sharp reminder of how fleeting our worlds can be.
This isn’t just a promotional piece; it’s an emotional landscape that pulls us into a quietly devastating meditation on memory, loss, and identity. Written and directed by Benito himself and the brilliant Arí Maniel Cruz Suárez, the short features the legendary Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales, who exudes the wisdom of someone who has seen it all yet still finds himself grasping for more.
The film opens with Morales, eyes weathered but still shining, unearthing a small, rusted box from his yard. Inside: photos from moments long gone. These aren’t glamor shots or curated Instagram-worthy highlights—they’re everyday snapshots of lives lived with joy, pain, and everything in between. Morales confesses to his unseen friend Concho (voiced by Kenneth Canales) that he should have taken more photos, so many moments deserved to be remembered.
The poignancy of this scene hits especially hard for diasporic Latinos who know the pain of memories fading and the fight to hold onto what’s been passed down through stories and scraps. The photo albums in our abuelita’s living room, the Polaroids tucked away in a kitchen drawer, they remind us of who we are.
But Morales’ journey doesn’t stop with nostalgia; it’s interrupted by the cold slap of reality. He steps out to grab some food and finds himself disoriented in a neighborhood that once felt like home. The streets are filled with unfamiliar sounds, country music spills from an open window, and the family on the corner speaks only English. At the bakery, he’s met with an electronic kiosk and a sign that reads: No Cash Accepted. The once-familiar aroma of freshly baked pan sobao is overshadowed by the sterile efficiency of modernity.
This moment is bigger than Morales’ personal lament, it’s a reflection of Puerto Rico’s complex relationship with gentrification, tourism, and the preservation of culture. The scene speaks directly to the soul of anyone who has felt displaced, even in their own hometown.
Yet Benito doesn’t leave us drowning in despair. Morales returns to his front porch, weary but still searching for something familiar. That’s when it happens, a red car cruises by, windows down, blasting the unmistakable rhythms of home. It’s a sonic lifeline, proof that the essence of the island refuses to be erased. This is what Bad Bunny does best, he reminds us that resilience is baked into our bones, even when we’re drowning in change.
This short film isn’t just a teaser for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his upcoming album set to release on Three Kings Day, it’s an emotional gift wrapped in melancholy and hope. The album follows Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana and includes tracks like EL CLúB and the soul-warming Pitorro de Coco, continuing his storytelling streak that intertwines the personal with the collective.
For creators, artists, and dreamers, Debí Tirar Más Fotos is a masterclass in vulnerability and vision. It challenges us to ask: Are we documenting our lives with intention, or letting moments slip through our fingers? More importantly, how do we honor where we come from in the face of relentless change?
This is a conversation I will elaborate on in my new Siembra Connect project… go there for more.
As we prepare to celebrate Three Kings Day, let this be a reminder: the stories we tell and the memories we capture matter, not for likes or clout, but because they remind us who we are. Benito didn’t just create a short film, he gave us permission to grieve what’s been lost and to hold onto what remains.
So, as you take that last bite of your rosca or sneak another sip of cafecito, remember to take a photo. Not for perfection, but for preservation. Like Morales, like Bad Bunny, we never know which moments will become the ones we wish we’d captured.
I will be in Puerto Rico next week… I am taking all the pics that matter.
George Torres
Your favorite neighborhood Jibaro.
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