- Iliteracy today seems to be a small problem globally, but it is hell for the individual illiterate that struggles alone in a hyper communicative era.
- Mexico City: A Mexican-German family is in need of contracting a domestic employee to look after her 4-month-old baby. Amanda calls Yolanda, her former babysitter to do the job. Yolanda is illiterate and Juan her husband is an alcoholic. Yolanda will accept the challenge. Hans and Amanda embark on a trip which will define Yolanda and prove if her will is stronger than her ignorance. Long bus rides, confusion in the city, and a rhetoric of symbols surround Yolanda and Juan in a roller coaster drama of our time. Death, trafficking with children, guilt and forgiveness are elements present in the denouement of the history. Alfalfa is a visual vehicle that shows the consequences of lying, abuse of confidence and self-esteem: a dramatic representation of the controlling ignorance of the illiterate.—francisco laresgoiti
- Yolanda travels from her poor town in Michoacán to chaotic Mexico City to take care of a newborn baby, defying Juan her alcoholic and controlling husband. Amanda, a wealthy spoiled woman, calls her former babysitter to sit in for the job. Yolanda accepts the challenge, although she lacks the essential tools to succeed: reading and writing. Amanda and Hans, her husband, take a long trip, leaving Yolanda and the baby adrift. Confusion in the city and illegible symbols haunt Amanda task by task. Lies and miscommunication combined with Juan's continuous drinking only worsens things. These circumstances lead to the sickness and death of the baby. Yolanda tries to hide this tragic event by burying the child near her hometown and kidnapping another baby. Back in Mexico City the tension scales as Juan's plan fails completely, leaving Yolanda stranded and pursued, her destination: prison. Juan hangs himself after being unable to manage the situation. While in prison, Yolanda learns to read and write. The story contrasts the city's brutality with the beauty of a calm countryside: an empty lake at dawn, a picturesque ravine at dusk and a traditional town festivity. The film brings back the essence of Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema combined with a surrealistic approach in many of it's countryside scenes. Alfalfa points out the consequences of lying, abuse of confidence and lack of self-esteem: a dramatic representation that pursues a modest illiterate woman.
Alfalfa (The mechanical power of ignorance)
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