New Mexican Cinema: 10 tastier films than a bottle of tequila

By: kuxa kanema

Mexico has some of the most talented and promising film makers in the world today. Often we only hear about details Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Torro, Alfonso Cuaron and Carlos Reygados. There are some equally exciting directors who have receieved far less recognition for their work. Here are ten Mexican films from the 2000’s that I love and below ten films that I really want to watch. Any suggestions welcome.

TEN FILMS SEEN SO FAR

1..Sangre, Amat Escalante, 2005.
Diego (Cirilo Recio) is a cross-eyed, middle-aged man who works as a doorman in a government building and spends the day counting the persons who pass in front of him. His younger wife Blanca (Laura Saldaña) works in a fast-food sushi bar. They do not have much to say to each other after a hard day’s work and so they wile away the hours watching televison. They do have an active sex life with Blanca usually leading the way. One day he arrives home to find her waiting for him nude on the floor with her legs spread wide open. ****

2.Ano Una, Jonas Cuaron, 2007
Noted director Alfonso Cuaron’s son Jonas helms this drama, which embodies one of the most unusual features to emerge on the international scene in quite some time. An experimental work overtly influenced by Chris Marker’s La jetee, it relies exclusively on a series of still photographs to establish its narrative trajectory, and thus avoids the moving image altogether. As the work opens, a title reads, “From 2004-5 I took photos of everything around me. At the end of that year, I ordered the images in such a way that they suggested the following narrative to me.” Strategically building on this idea, the film then uses snapshots to weave the tale of an on-again, off-again cross-cultural romance between an American college student named Molly (Eireann Harper) and a 14-year-old Mexican boy called Diego (Diego Cataño). – *

3.Lake Tahoe, Fernando Eimbcke, 2008
Former music video director Fernando Eimbcke continues to hone his feature film career with this drama concerning a 14-year-old boy who makes the transition from childhood to adulthood while attempting to repair an irreplaceable gift. The final gift that Juan ever received from his father was a car. Now Juan has crashed that car and he’s determined to get it in working order again. As Juan searches the city for car parts, he gradually begins to realise that the decisions he makes over the course of this one day could profoundly affect him for the rest of his life. *

4.Raging Sun, Raging Sky, Julian Hernandez, 2009
Julian Hernandez explores the thin dividing line between love and eros while elevating desire to the level of mythic heroism in this grand-scale experimental drama. As Meche (Clarisa Rendon) drifts through an unforgiving urban landscape, she discovers Ryo (Guillermo Villegas), a handsome man with whom she feels an immediate connection, and they make their way through a rainstorm to his flat, where they consummate their new love. Elsewhere in the city, a number of men frequent a shabby movie theater where they search for companionship. Ryo visits the theater one evening and is drawn to Kieri (Jorge Becerra); they come together with a joy that transcends shame, but this breaks the heart of Tari (Javier Olivan), who worships Ryo from afar.*

5.El Violin, Francisco Vargas, 2005
Filmmaker Francisco Vargas makes his feature-film debut with this expansion of his well-received short film detailing the struggle between the peasants and military in 1970s-era Mexico. Don Plutarco (Angel Tavira) is a dignified elder who, along with his son Genaro (Gerardo Taracena) and grandson Lucio (Mario Garibaldi), makes his living as a traveling musician. On the side, the trio secretly smuggles weapons and supplies to the freedom fighters who are bravely attempting to overthrow the oppressive regime. When the trio returns to their hometown to find that it has been occupied by the army in their absence and the villagers have been forced to flee, Genaro departs in hopes of salvaging their supplies while Plutarco boldly approaches the squad captain (Dagoberto Gama) with the intention of personally recovering the ammunition on the sly.

6.Ver Llover, Elisa Miller 2006
This short tells us the story about a young couple living in a small town without men (cause they are working in the US) and how difficult live is in there. **

7.Blue Eyelids, Ernesto Contreras, 2007
Marina wins a paradise vacation for two, but when she realizes that she has no one to bring along, she decides to invite a stranger named Victor. The pair soon discovers that true love depends more on compatibility rather than idyllic scenery- *

8.Deficit, Gael Garcia Bernal, 2007
Y Tu Mama Tambien star Gael García Bernal makes his feature directorial debut with this study of the class system in Mexico centered on a rowdy house party. Cristobal (García Bernal) is a privileged rich boy who loves a good party almost as much as he loves hip-hip. Cristobal has made plans for a barbecue at his parents’ weekend home, but his younger sister (Camila Sodi) and her friends will be staying at the house that weekend as well. Cristobal’s sister’s friends are more hippie than hip-hop, and as the party begins to get underway it’s obvious that these two groups are incapable of seeing past their differences. *

9.I’m Gonna Explode, Geraldo Naranjo,2008
Director Gerardo Naranjo transplants the myth of the last romantic couple to upper middle-class Mexico City with this vital and hectic tale of a young couple who throw caution to the wind and set out in search of their true fate. Román is the son of a contemptible, right-leaning congressman. Recently enrolled in a new high school, the rebellious teen clumsily attempts to hang himself on-stage at the big talent show. Maru is the sole member of the audience to applaud, earning both students a day of detention. After bonding during the course of their punishment, Román and Maru grab daddy’s gun, steal a Volkswagen, and hit the road bound for nowhere. *

10.Jacinta, Karla Castañeda, 2008
Jacinta is an old woman who gazes at the present from far away, from her window and through the shadows. Inside her lives her past, regards and feelings. Accompanied with a pair of needles and worsted yarn she knitted a big part of her history. Every stitch she’s done symbolizes a little bit of her life. When she runs out of worsted yarn, she decides to make her baggage and prepare to leave. ****

TEN OVER INTERESTING FILMSTO WATCH

1.Alamar, Pedro Gonzalez Rubio 2009
A young boy and his father learn about living in harmony with nature in this languid drama from filmmaker Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio. A man from Mexico (Jorge Machado) travels to Italy and falls in love with a beautiful local woman (Roberta Palombini). Their feelings for one another are strong, but they prove to be short lived, and when they decide to beak up after the birth of their son Natan, he returns to Mexico while she stays in Italy and takes primary custody of the child. However, the father strives to remain a presence in his son’s life, and the boy visits his father at least once a year. As the five-year-old Natan travels to Mexico, his father has joined the family’ fishing operation near the coral reefs of Banco Chinchorro. Living in an elevated cottage near the shore, Natan and his family devote their summer to an idyllic existence, spending their days catching the plentiful fish and observing the wildlife, and their nights sitting by the fire and admiring the stars. *

2.Parque Via, Enrique Rivero, 2008
Beto is the keeper of a house in Mexico City – empty for several years already – in which he used to work as a domestic help. The solitude of the last ten years, as well the monotony and routine of his job have made him lead a secluded life, which could seem suffocating for most people, whereas for him it provides a safe and stable environment, in contrast to the threatening outside world. He has develop a pathological fear for this world, to the point of limiting his contacts to only two persons: the lady of the house, for whom he has a feeling of deep gratitude and respect that is translated into obedience; and Lupe, a friend, a confident and a lover. Once he learns that the house has been sold, Beto is confronted to the dilemma of gathering the courage to get out and get a life or find a way of remaining in his confinement.****

3.Never On A Sunday, Daniel Gruener, 2006
Julio Salas dies after a long illness, but it is Sunday and due to financial difficulties, his family is forced to contract the services of a modest funeral home, whose owner having taken charge of the corpse, sells it to the University. The nephew learns of the deal and demands that his uncle s body end up in the cremation oven, falling in love with the funeral owner s daughter in the process. This story about a corpse that cannot find peace, is handled in accordance with the canons of black comedy over which the director displays a skillful mastery, provoking, with the aid of some excellent actors, grotesquely hilarious situations. ****

4.Bedtime Fairy Tales For Crocodiles, Ignacio Ortiz 2002
Arcángel can’t sleep. His wife leaves him. Arcangel gets a message from his brother telling that their father is very sick. Arcangel and his son travel to hometown, the familiy house looks abandoned, only Isabel, a misterious old woman, is there. His father and brother are dead for so many years. “The french came and bruoght the gun and the coyote took away the sleepiness”. Tranquilino, the grand grand father looked at the eyes of the coyote, since then the horror of a crime and the hell of being unable to sleep will chase them. Teresa is pregnant. Arcangel knows that a curse is coming. “It’s said that only love can save them from disgrace, but that’s crap. Love doesn’t exist.”****

5.Down To the Bone, Rene Castillo, 2001
A beautiful dark tale featuring some impressive animation from this Mexican director. It tells the story of a man who awakes to the horror of being buried alive. Swallowed up by the ground, he finally lands in what appears to be an old music hall – populated by skeletons. His tension is clearly palpable through his expressive face and continuous beads of sweat. But the horror turns to beauty thanks to a mesmerising love song." (brandrepublic.com)**

6.Eréndira Ikikunari, Juan Mora Catlett, 2006
ERENDIRA IKIKUNARI is a beautifully shot action film that recreates the 16th century legend of Eréndira, a young Purépecha woman who became an icon of bravery during the destruction of indigenous Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors. When the Spanish arrive, they take advantage of the discord and conflict among the Mexican natives, reaping the benefits of a region divided. Eréndira, a young Purépecha woman on the verge of marriage, refuses to allow her land to be destroyed and stands up to the social conventions prohibiting women to participate in battle. In the face of the invasion, she steals and learns to ride a horse against the Spanish, winning the respect of her tribal leaders. Along her amazing journey, she becomes a symbol of strength and resistance within her culture. This feature length film was shot
entirely in the original Purépecha language. **

7..Sleep Dealer, Alex Rivera, 2008
In a bleak future where the borders have been sealed, vast computer networks commodify memories, and corporate warriors have been militarized, a tech-savvy “campesino” from a small Santa Ana farm village discovers a mysterious transmission that seems to be a blueprint for the city of the future. Memo Cruz lives with his family in Santa Ana del Rio, a remote farming community that has recently been hijacked by a private company. Having already taken control of the entire area’s water supply, the company is now seeking to sell the precious resource back to citizens at criminal prices. As a result, aqua-terrorist cells have recently formed, with the explicit goal of taking back the water supply by force if necessary. Despite the growing tension in Santa Ana, however, all Memo really cares about is technology. Memo longs to find employment as a node worker in the high-tech factories of the northern cities, and has recently constructed a transmitter that allows him to vicariously experience the lives of others *

8.Saint Death, Eva S. Aridjis, 2007
In Mexico there is a cult that is rapidly growing- the cult of Saint Death. This female grim reaper, considered a saint by followers but Satanic by the Catholic Church, is worshiped by people whose lives are filled with danger and/or violence- criminals, gang members, transvestites, sick people, drug addicts, and families living in rough neighborhoods. “La Santa Muerte” examines the origins of the cult and takes us on a tour of the altars, jails, and neighborhoods in Mexico where the saint’s most devoted followers can be found. **

9.She Dreamt, We Dreamt, Marco Casado, 2007
“She Dreamt, We Dreamt is a stop motion animation film based on a real story of love, jealousy, hatred and reconciliation. **

10.La Zona, Rodrigo Pla, 2007
At a time when the growing chasm between the rich and the poor appears to be slowly tearing Mexico – and many other Latin countries – apart, first time filmmaker Rodrigo Plá highlights just how isolationism breeds fear in many wealthy communities. Alejandro (Daniel Tovar) lives with his father Daniel (Daniel Giménez Cacho) and his mother Mariana Maribel Verdú) in an isolated community known as La Zona. La Zona is home to the most privileged citizens in Mexico, but with all of the gates and closed circuit cameras it feels more like a million dollar prison than a typical neighborhood. Eventually, a group of disadvantaged teenagers manage to break into La Zona. As the members of the community scramble to protect their families at any cost, one of the teenaged burglars, a frightened boy named Miguel (Alan Chávez), seeks cover in the basement of Alejandro’s home as his friends scatter. *