Thanks to the rich Mexican and Spanish Colonial cultural roots of its home city, it’s only appropriate that the San Francisco International Film Festival highlight some of the best work coming out of Latin America. These six films represent the range and potential of contemporary Latina-American cinema with a particular emphasis on chronicling and examining the processes of becoming that underlie identity. The films also represent a decent geographic spread (the unfortunate absence of films from Central America aside). Mostly gritty, sometimes lighthearted, these films portray intimate struggles that make us human.
The Towrope (La Sirga) (2012) Director: William Vega
Set in Colombia, director William Vega’s story about a teen girl who finds a new life at her uncle’s remote guesthouse in the Andean highlands is a striking portrait of youth blossoming into adulthood under extraordinarily uncertain and absurd conditions. Though Alicia (Joghis Seudin Arias) is a tough young woman, her life at Tio Oscar’s (Julio César Roble) guesthouse is punctuated by surprising tenderness.
The Towrope is a coming-of-age tale in Latin American cinema situated firmly in a very adult world. As the reality of the national situation closes ever tighter on Alicia and those around her, we know this story is the tragic Latin American sort, not the chipper fairytale sort. This unabashed examination of how stories end makes The Towrope a striking and intimate film. The movie received an honorable mention by the jury for the New Director’s Prize.
Habi, the Foreigner (Habi, la extranjera) (2013)
Director: María Florencia Álvarez
This delightful coming-of-age tale, set in Argentina, combines serious themes of how identities are developed and relationships forged without losing the wonder that Amalia (Martina Juncadella) feels when she stumbles into a new life in Buenos Aires. Written and directed by María Florencia Álvarez, Habi, the Foreigner offers an interesting exegesis of what it means to be our “authentic” selves.
After she wanders into a mosque, Amalia adopts the identity of a young Argentina-born Lebanese woman. While she finds freedom and the ability to be herself in her new role, she also learns that identities are fraught with complications, especially when she begins to form new relationships with a grocer’s son and a middle-aged tenant in her building. Enjoyable Latin American cinema, from beginning to end, Habi, the Foreigner, is in contention for the New Director’s Prize.
Never Die (Mai Morire) (2012), Director: Enrique Rivero
This contemplation on the relationship between life and death is an admirable first effort from director Enrique Rivera. Margarita Saldaño is a joy to watch as she executes the role of Chavo in a stoic, sensitive fashion.
Returning to her home in the southern Mexican village of Xochimilco isn’t easy for Chavo, who must witness her 99-year-old mother’s slide into death. Chavo must also navigate her relationship with her estranged husband and two children, whom she rarely sees. Away from the pressure of her city job, Chavo finally has the time to self-reflect. Rivera executes his vision with dream-like tones and dashes of magical realism that come only in dreams.
After Lucia (Después de Lucía) (2012), Director: Michael Franco
To see After Lucia in the theatre is almost too personal an experience to share with other fans of Latin American cinema. Director Michel Franco’s visceral imagery and emotional tension are deeply affecting.
After his wife dies, Roberto (Hernan Mendoza) and his daughter Alejandra (Tessa Ia) move from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City. Father and daughter are close but struggle to communicate. The beginning is a bit slow, but After Lucia suddenly shifts from a regular story of how two people deal with grief to a haunting one about how grief affects relationships. Alejandra becomes the victim of vicious bullies at school, but she seems unable to tell her father.
After Lucia is an intense yet important film. We understand that more young women experience Alejandra’s difficulties than we would like to think.
The Cleaner (El limpiador) (2021) Director: Adrián Saba
This delightfully quirky film received an honorable mention from the jury for the New Director’s Prize in Latin American cinema; it is most certainly deserved. Set in Lima, The Cleaner is the story of forensic clean-up worker Eusebio (Victor Prada), who spends his days cleaning up after the victims of a mysterious pandemic. Director Adrián Saba shows us a fascinating vision of a metropolitan emptied by a mysterious, probably airborne disease.
In the course of his duties, Eusebio finds young Joaquin (Adrian Du Bois) hiding in a closet after his mother’s death. The pair navigate the deserted streets, leading to a quiet closeness that only grief can bring. Unlike others, this apocalyptic story focuses on deep, inner emotions instead of outer destruction.
The Future (Il futuro) (2013), Director: Alicia Scherson
Alicia Scherson’s The Future is adapted from the novella by Roberto Bolaño and is rife with the author’s sensibilities.
A very different coming-of-age tale in Latin American cinema, The Future is the story of two teens in Italy who are orphaned when their parents die in a car crash. With their only family in Chile, they must find a way to make a life for themselves.
Bianca (Manuela Martini) and Tomas (Luigi Ciardo) live relatively dull lives until Tomas brings two bodybuilder friends home. The group hatches a plot to steal money from a former Mister Universe and movie star, Maciste (Rutger Hauer). Bianca gains Maciste’s trust and realizes that becoming an adult is much more complex than it seems. Ultimately, The Future is a touching film that can speak to a diverse audience’s experiences.