Ana de Armas Stars in 'Corazon'

Cuban actress, Ana de Armas stars in Corazon, the true story of a young woman, Elena Ramirez, living in the town of Santo Domingo in the impoverished country of the Dominican Republic. She makes her living as a prostitute selling her body to strange men in order to provide for her family. These men, or "johns," aren't aware that her health is failing due to her faint heart.

Elena has an enlarged heart which causes her various symptoms including shortness of breath. After fainting, she meets a US-based cardiologist, Dr. Mario Garcia, who is volunteering in his hometown of Santo Domingo. He reveals to Elena her diagnosis that she has a bad heart and requires surgery. To give her a chance to survive, the surgery must be done in the Bronx, New York. She follows the prestigious cardiologist of Montefiore Hospital (Demian Bichir) on a near-impossible journey to New York to receive a mechanical heart.

The film is available for public viewing on its website, corazonfilm.com. Parts of the film have subtitles due to the Spanish language. It also contains graphic and medical images that may be unsuitable for some audiences. De Armas gives a stunning and convincing performance as Elena Ramirez. The actress also starred in Exposed, featuring Keanu Reeves and Mira Sorvino.

The Corazon film is a call to action for organ donation.

The 48-minute short film drama is based on a real-life patient story. It's directed by John Hillcoat and written by Kelley Sane. The film was financed by Montefiore Health Systems. It was produced by Serial Pictures and JohnXHannes New York. The director of photography is Bradford Young. It made its official premiere at The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and is a Tribeca X finalist this year. The mission of the film is to promote organ donation, which is decreasing in population—specifically, the heart in order to save lives. There are currently 115,000 patients in the US waiting for a life-saving organ donation. But less than half will actually receive one. 22 people die every day because there simply aren't enough organs. April is National Donate Life Month, and Montefiore Health System—in partnership with Donate Life—is launching #GiveYourHeart, asking the people to become donors.

Loreen Babcock, Chief Marketing Officer of Montefiore, stated in the film's press release on the website:

“We knew we had to find a way to capture the power at the heart of a true patient story. We went looking for partners with a reputation for exceptional storytelling and the vision to create something that would compel people to act. Our search led us first to Emmy Award-winning agency. JohnXHannes New York. Serial Pictures was then brought to the project and we were ecstatic to have John Hillcoat onboard to direct this extraordinary story in a way that would leave a lasting impact on every audience."

Final Thoughts on the Film, 'Corazon'

The film is very real and inspiring. It displayed the compassion of the doctor that wanted to give her a second chance of survival and the struggle Elena had to go through with the heart operation. David Fleming, President & CEO of Donate Life America also commented in the film's press release with this statement:

“Corazón brings to light the experience that sadly thousands of families face...the journey to a new heart as well as other organs. Elena like all mechanical heart recipients still needs a heart donation.We hope this film will inspire viewers to become organ donors and #GiveYourHeart."