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Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

Joel Alfonso Vargas
Talent présent •  Talent présent •  
2025 101 min United States, United Kingdom
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Synopsis

An incisive coming-of-age story set in the Bronx’s Dominican community  

Rico spends his summer roaming Orchard Beach in the Bronx, selling homemade cocktails and collecting phone numbers along the way. Aside from the usual bickering with his sister, his days slip by with the lazy ease of vacation. But when his girlfriend, Destiny, tells him that she is pregnant and moves in with him–or rather, with his mother–Rico is forced to confront a set of responsibilities far removed from his carefree routine.

Drawing on his short film of the same name, Joel Alfonso Vargas sets his debut feature in the Bronx neighborhood where he grew up, crafting a slow-burning and richly layered portrait of a young man blindsided by fate. The film balances sharp humor with a post #MeToo sensibility.

Cast/Avec

  • Juan Collado
  • Destiny Checo
  • Yohanna Florentino
  • Nathaly Navarro

Screenplay

  • Joel Alfonso Vargas

Cinematographer

  • Rufai Ajala

Sound

  • Alina Ushakova
  • Omar Gabriel Delnevo

Music

  • Niklas Sandahl

Screenings

Saturday 07 March 2026 18:00
Lieux : Kinepolis Kirchberg
Audio : English, Spanish
Subtitles : French, English
Screening : 1st Screening
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Tuesday 10 March 2026 18:15
Talent présent  •  
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : English, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French
Screening : 2nd Screening
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Wednesday 11 March 2026 20:30
Talent présent  •  
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : English, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French
Screening : Jury Screening
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Critics

Joel Alfonso Vargas

Joel Alfonso Vargas
Joel Alfonso Vargas

Joel Alfonso Vargas was born and raised in The Bronx, New York. A graduate of the National Film and Television School, he is also a former Fulbright Scholar and holds an MA in documentary filmmaking from the University of the Arts, London. He has since then directed several shorts. His work aims to collaborate with diasporic communities of color, centering on themes of social, racial, and economic justice. Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) is his debut feature.

More about the director

Filmography

  • Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) 2025
  • Sohail, Are You Eating and Sleeping Well? (short film) 2024
  • May It Go Beautifully for You, Rico (short film) 2024
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