fernanda valadez – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SUJO – Review by Jennifer Green

November 24, 2024November 24, 2024 Jennifer Green Astrid Rondero, fernanda valadez, mexican films, Michoacan, sujo, Ximena Amann

In a time when immigrants from south of the border are being vilified in the US, a film like Sujo offers a poignant rendering of the brutality which forces some people to flee their homes. From writing-directing team Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez and a female-dominant creative and technical crew, the film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was selected to represent Mexico in this year’s International Oscar category. Sujo is a tense film full of visual symbolism that takes an unexpected turn in its third act. The main character is a boy who survives and ultimately gets a chance at life only because of three women who intervene at key moments to save him.

Festivals Reviews

SUJO (Melbourne IFF 2024) – Review by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

August 20, 2024August 19, 2024 Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Astrid Rondero, fernanda valadez, Juan Jesus Varela, Melbourne IFF 2024, mexican films, sujo

Sujo is a gentle film about a harsh world, and its patience and sensitivity give space for a refreshingly different kind of story about the Mexican drug wars to emerge than we are typically used to seeing. When his sicario father is killed, the aunt of four-year-old Sujo emerges as his most fierce protector, determined to protect the child from being the cartel’s next victim – the logic being that, as he gets older, Sujo will naturally want to avenge his father’s death.

Movie of the Week Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 22, 2021: IDENTIFYING FEATURES

January 17, 2021February 14, 2021 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, fernanda valadez, identifying features, jennifer merin, kathia woods, leslie combemale, loren king, maryann johanson, Mercedes Hernández, mexican films, motw, Movie of the Week, sandie angulo chen, susan wlosczyna

Heartbreaking and quietly powerful, writer/director Fernanda Valadez’ debut drama Identifying Features shines a light on the complex, tragic realities of what can happen when undocumented immigrants set out to cross the border from Mexico into the United States. It is a truly heartbreaking film that puts a very human face on a humanitarian crisis, sparking both empathy and outrage.

Reviews

IDENTIFYING FEATURES – Review by Susan Wloszczyna

January 16, 2021January 18, 2021 Susan Wloszczyna fernanda valadez, identifying features, Mercedes Hernández, mexican films, motw, Movie of the Week

With Identifying Features, first-time director Fernanda Valadez valiantly avoids the usual drug-wars action thriller. Instead, she has delivered a harrowing drama about the migration crisis at the U.S. southern border that is far more intimate and poignant as it focuses the lives of people looking for a better life and the danger involved in doing so.