Writer & Director

2024

After a sexual encounter with his best friend, Maco finds his grandmother dead at home, and on the way to her funeral, his emotional turmoil deepens when a car tire explodes, leaving him stranded with friends in the middle of nowhere.

The script was selected as one of three winners for the Johnnie Walker Keep Walking Films initiative, securing a $15,000 production grant.

The film was produced by two local production companies, Monovisión and Lonelypark, and shot on location in both San Juan and Río Grande, Puerto Rico.

Belaval was integrated into every stage of production—from script development and casting to location scouting, directing on set, and post-production supervision. Her goal was to translate the script’s psychological and emotional textures into a visual language that resonated with the island’s social and cultural reality.

When in doubt, go left is currently in the festival circuit and stands as a reflection of Belaval's commitment to intimate, formally considered storytelling grounded in Puerto Rican identity and experience.