The Light Beside Me

Filmmaker: CastAway Films/ Grant Wiswell
Run Time: 12:17:30 Minutes

Danny Parra grew up on the shores of Magdalena Bay, where fishing was his passion and his father his best friend—until the day his father abandoned the family, leaving Danny to believe he wasn’t enough to make anyone stay. Forced to quit school and work as a sardinero, Danny survived by throwing himself into the sea, using fishing as both his livelihood and his shield. When the sardine trade collapses and foreclosure looms, Danny’s old friend Gabino offers him a chance to guide whale tours. Reluctant to trust but with no other choice, Danny accepts—and discovers not only the joy of sharing the ocean with families, but also his own longing to become a father. His world shifts again when he meets Los Locos, fly fishermen who reveal that the pinnacle of the profession is guiding for marlin. For the first time, Danny dares to dream of something greater. But just as he proves himself ready, Danny is diagnosed with cancer and told he can never have children. Crushed, he retreats into the same isolation that once defined him, repeating the cycle of abandonment he swore to escape. Only through the persistence of Gabino, his wife Yarit, and Los Locos does Danny realize the truth: family isn’t those who leave—it’s those who stick around when times are tough. Reclaiming his strength, Danny returns to the sea and finally earns his dream as a marlin guide. In the glow of Punta Tosca’s lighthouse, he learns he was always had it in him. And when Yarit reveals they are expecting a child, Danny’s journey comes full circle—no longer the abandoned boy, but the father who his child can count on.