Guilherme, a young Brazilian immigrant working as a barback in a small American bar, quietly studies English through old cassette tapes while writing phrases in a worn notebook. Night after night he practices sentences he rarely gets to use.

Everything changes when Rebecca, a singer returning to perform at the bar’s open mic nights, captivates the room, and Guilherme. But while music connects them emotionally, Guilherme’s inability to express himself becomes a wall between them.

As he navigates loneliness, immigration pressures, and the fear of being invisible in a foreign country, Guilherme must decide whether he will continue observing life silently or finally find the courage to speak.

My father never learned to speak English fluently. The little English he knew came from watching movies and listening to music. Growing up, I watched him navigate a world where language often created invisible walls between him and the people around him.

But I also saw how connection still happened.

Sometimes it happened through laughter.

Sometimes through food shared across a table.

Sometimes through music playing in the background of a crowded room.

Those moments taught me that human connection often happens beyond language.

Verb To Be was inspired by these experiences. It explores the quiet emotional reality of immigrants who are often present in a society but rarely heard. Guilherme’s journey reflects the vulnerability of learning to exist in a language that isn’t your own, and the courage it takes to express who you are when words don’t come easily.

In a time when immigration is often discussed through fear, politics, and misunderstanding, I want to tell a story that centers humanity, tenderness, and empathy.

By coming together in a genuine spirit of trust and shared experience within the local immigrant community, I hope to rally collective support to fund a film that gives voice to those often overlooked, while inviting audiences to see themselves reflected in the story, not as immigrants or outsiders, but simply as people searching for connection.

- Kathlyn Almeida

Identity

Language defines how we exist in the world. Guilherme struggles to claim his identity in a language that is not yet his own.

Belonging

The film explores what it means to belong somewhere when you arrive as an outsider.

Silence vs Expression

Music and language mirror each other, Rebecca expresses through song while Guilherme struggles to speak.

Immigration Experience

The quiet, everyday reality of immigrants navigating life in a new country.

Human Connection

True connection can begin even when words fail.

Intimate, naturalistic, and emotionally grounded.

Visual tone references:

• Past Lives (2023)
• Columbus (2017)
• Call Me By Your Name (2017)
• Before Sunrise (1995)
• Minari (2020)

Stylistic elements:

• Music as emotional storytelling
• Long takes and subtle performances

Guilherme played by Matheus Fagundes

Guilherme is the kind of young man people overlook. Newly arrived in America, he understands almost no English and often feels locked out of the world around him. Yet he watches everything: the way people laugh, gesture, flirt, sing. He learns by listening. He loves by observing. What he wants more than anything is connection to be seen, to be understood, to belong. His journey is the emotional spine of the film: a quiet transformation from silence to voice, from fear to vulnerability, from invisibility to presence.

Matheus Fagundes is a Brazilian actor, born in São Paulo, who lives in Los Angeles. He started his career in Brazil when he was still a child and grew up doing several Brazilians productions.

Rebecca played by Miia Harris

Rebecca is the kind of person who lights up a room without realizing it , a natural softness, an authenticity that makes people feel safe around her. She sings not to be famous, but because it’s the language she feels the most herself in. She carries a small shyness, a longing of her own, masked by gentle humor and a confidence earned from performing in intimate spaces. She notices sincerity, even in silence. When she hears Guilherme’s voice, she sees someone trying deeply, and that touches her more than any polished performer ever could.

Miia Harris is an actress, known for Monster High 2 (2023), Monster High: The Movie (2022) and That Girl Lay Lay (2021).

This is a story about belonging, and if there’s one thing our community does best, it’s coming together.

In addition to in-kind community contributions, grants, fiscal sponsorships we are aiming to close the remaining financing gap with equity raised through Seedandspark. This will cover essential production needs, including locations, equipment, crew, post-production, festival runs, and on-set meals, as outlined on our wishlist page.

Every contribution matters. Take advantage of our fun incentives or give what you can either way, your support helps transform collective effort into a finished story of hope, one that reaches the audiences who understand it and need its message most.