Levi Lobo Takes the Lead in New Mexico Indie Thriller “The Weight Of It All”

Levi Lobo just wrapped his first leading role, and it’s personal in more ways than one.

The Albuquerque-born actor stars in “The Weight Of It All,” an indie feature that filmed across New Mexico this summer—including in the childhood home he built with his late father. The thriller, directed by Joel Hager and co-produced by Lobo alongside Dannie McCallum, tells the story of Luna and Alfi, a couple torn apart by trauma. When Alfi emerges from prison and seeks out Luna at her sober living house, she’s forced to decide whether people can truly change.

“Filming in the Trumbull community and the home I built with my father was a profoundly personal journey,” Lobo said. “It allowed me to weave a story of perseverance and resilience, grounded in the soul of New Mexico.”

The production employed roughly 40 New Mexicans, shooting on location in Albuquerque, Tijeras, and Questa—places where Levi Lobo grew up. The cast includes McCallum (“ECHO”), Daniel Pattison (“Big Sky”), and Liesa Reece. Steve Graham, director of the New Mexico Film Office, praised the project for showcasing local talent and the state’s unique storytelling potential.

What’s interesting is how Levi Lobo got here. After his father, Gerald Donald Martinez, passed away in 2012, Lobo found acting through church plays. That grief became a catalyst. He started performing under the name Levi Dylan before adopting Lobo—a nod to his Aztec heritage and connection to wolves.

His family’s story already had a national spotlight once before. ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” featured them after they moved into one of Albuquerque’s roughest neighborhoods to serve the community. That dedication to service seems to have carried into Lobo’s creative work.

Through his production company EraCinema, Lobo’s got ten feature films in development. He’s also working on other projects including “The Apache” and “Consider the Violence.” Beyond acting, he’s a writer and painter—his 6×4-foot painting for “Tramp” stems from his 45,130-word historical fiction novel exploring Mestizo identity and displacement.

“If I can change one person’s life for the better through my work, I’ve succeeded,” Lobo said in a recent interview.

It’s a tall order, but given where he’s come from and what he’s building, it doesn’t sound like empty talk. The guy’s putting his roots and his grief into work that matters to him—and he’s doing it on his own terms.