Recensioni de* critic*

Tatiana Huezo's exquisite documentary speaks painful truths but is worth every minute. It pares everything back to long-held shots that unfold like a cinematic slideshow, accompanied almost entirely by voiceover tracks from two Mexican women whose stories mirror each other. . . . Luminous cinematography and a plangent but sparingly used score buttress the powerfully composed storytelling.

Both of the stories told in "Tempestad" are compelling and very sad. Each woman has had a hole ripped in her life that may be difficult or impossible to mend. But perhaps understanding their tragedies can help prevent others. In showing the emotional impact of Mexico's ongoing political crisis, Huezo has provided a valuable reminder of why broad systemic change is needed.

Films that recognize parity are by now less than novel, but few have approached the subject with such an absence of glamour, and an overt sense of fatigue, as Tatiana Huezo's Tempestad, a heartfelt essay film that digs into several instances of trauma occasioned by this horrible conflict.

[Tempestad is] even more devastating in its exposure of political corruption and the resulting sociopathic behavior [than Starless Dreams], and more complex in its use of visual imagery... The subjects of the stories recount their experiences of horrifying injustice in soft voices colored by anguish, despair, and resistance. Although there are almost no sync-sound sequences, we have the sense that the images on the screen are projected from the psyches of the two women whose voices we hear.

Images of a beautiful, diverse country blighted by insensitive architecture, unfailingly defective infrastructure and a menacingly militarised police force (enmeshed in unwinnable ‘wars' against drugs and crime) build into a kind of kaleidoscopic dystopia. This is an environment in which the strong and resilient can hope to prosper or even survive, and where solidarity between women is a crucial sustaining force.

What if something terrible happened and the authorities were unable or unwilling to provide recourse? The beautifully crafted and creative documentary "Tempestad" traces the stories of two women whose lives, through no fault of their own, became utter, incomprehensible nightmares. As in her previous documentary, the prizewinning "The Tiniest Place," Huezo superimposes her subjects' recollections over lyrical images that complement the emotions conveyed by their voices.

The Mexican documentary Tempestad is a prime example of what makes the Forum rewarding, taking a risk on an ungainly but ambitious movie which deserves to be seen... The film sees these rough, modest lives imbued with compounded grief and possibilities—metaphysical, even—of transformation. The stories of these two women are far bigger than they may think they are.