Hidalgo explores love, motherhood, immigration, and the experiences of women filmmakers in her films, writing, and academic work.
Love: Hidalgo argues that contrary to general belief, it can be useful to get feedback from those closest to us, including spouses. She discusses the value of what she calls “Feedback Partners,” who can be romantic partners, relatives, collaborators, or friends who have a sustained investment in one's work over the course of one's lifetime. She describes her work with her husband, Nathaniel Bowler, this way: “Nate and I have spent 22 years editing draft after draft of each other's writing, and he reluctantly works as the cinematographer for my films. We untangle each other's creative visions and tackle our artistic anxieties together. In a lifetime of magnificent feedback friendships and collaborations, no one is more pivotal to my success and sanity than my feedback partner.”
Motherhood: Hidalgo looks at motherhood from the perspective of being a daughter and also a mother. She examines how complicated it can be for mothers and daughters to remain close and connected to each other when separated by immigration and when dealing with the repercussions of traumatic events like divorce. Hidalgo also looks at how being a mother can expand one's creative and intellectual boundaries, as she discusses her films and writing featuring her children: “It wasn't until I had my first son that I learned to film images that reached viewers’ emotional cores. After he was born, I had many complex and undeniable feelings for this being that words could not explain, and I needed the camera and its prowess at capturing visual metaphors to help me untangle my love for him.”
Immigration: Being an immigrant from Venezuela to the US, Hidalgo analyzes the ways immigrants develop hybrid identities that, while sometimes difficult to sustain, can also be an asset to immigrants and their host country. She looks at “immigration from various angles, including what immigrants gain from coming to a country and what the country gains from their presence.” She argues that “The more we hear these personalized stories, the more we become compassionate.” She has collaborated on a number of campaigns on behalf of women filmmakers, including a 2017 open letter to the
Cannes Film Festival requesting better treatment of mothers and parents in general, which included “easy steps for Cannes to take that can lead to more inclusivity, from letting parents know where they can and cannot bring children to providing child care, dedicated breastfeeding venues and meet-ups for parents.” == Personal life ==