Early in writer-directors Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero’s Sujo, the eponymous character (initially played by Kevin Aguilar) faces down the prospect of his own death. Josué (Juan Jesús Varela Hernández), a cartel sicario from Michoacán, Mexico, was branded a traitor and murdered, and now, Sujo, his only son, must be dealt with. The only indication that little Sujo even grasps the danger of the situation is when he wets himself while hiding under a table as a cartel assassin comes calling. But it doesn’t matter to the cartel that the boy is far too young to seek vengeance. What matters is Sujo’s connection to Josué, and that the burden of history and blood is such that it may very well shape him into his father’s son.
In this way, the film concerns itself with legacy and free will. Sujo’s aunt, Nemesia (Yadira Pérez), begs for the child’s life,...
In this way, the film concerns itself with legacy and free will. Sujo’s aunt, Nemesia (Yadira Pérez), begs for the child’s life,...
- 1/19/2024
- by Steven Scaife
- Slant Magazine
For the larger part of the last two decades, Mexican cinema has been over saturated with hard-to-stomach chronicles of the monstrous drug violence ravaging the country, but no one is approaching such darkness with the layered sensibility and aesthetic poetry of directors Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero. Proven by their soul-shattering and award-winning previous collaboration, “Identifying Features” (which Valadez directed and Rondero co-wrote), they see the ongoing crisis not for its potential for spectacle or tactless shock value, but for the unspeakable human tragedy that it is.
While “Identifying Features” followed a mother searching for her son, a migrant victim of the horrors, their slightly more hopeful latest, “Sujo,” flips the focus to trace how young men from small, impoverished towns are trapped by the inescapable cycles of violence and become ruthless perpetrators. Here, Valadez and Rondero, now officially co-writing and co-directing, extend their cinematic empathy even to those society...
While “Identifying Features” followed a mother searching for her son, a migrant victim of the horrors, their slightly more hopeful latest, “Sujo,” flips the focus to trace how young men from small, impoverished towns are trapped by the inescapable cycles of violence and become ruthless perpetrators. Here, Valadez and Rondero, now officially co-writing and co-directing, extend their cinematic empathy even to those society...
- 1/19/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.