mexican films – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

SAD GIRLZ (Tribeca 2026) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

June 12, 2026June 16, 2026 Valerie Kalfrin Darana Álvarez, Fernanda Tovar, mexican films, Rocío Guzmán, Sad Girlz, teen drama, Tribeca 2026

Sad Girlz, the moving, assured feature debut from writer-director Fernanda Tovar, captures their undeniable, believable friendship before and after trauma, with naturalistic performances from its young leads. Paula and La Maestra have an easy, affectionate bond. Both sixteen, they have other warm relationships with men in their lives, but they’re clearly each other’s anchor. How they navigate something more wrenching than they know how to handle makes Sad Girlz a delicately affecting coming-of-age story and a thoughtful exploration of how fragile and elastic some friendships can be.

Festivals Reviews

CORINA (SXSW 2025) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

March 15, 2025March 15, 2025 Valerie Kalfrin CORINA, Mariana Giménez, mexican films, Naian González Norvind, Samuel Sofa, SXSW 2025, Urzula Barba Hopfner

Life feels overwhelming for Corina, a twenty-eight-year-old woman in Guadalajara. For roughly twenty years, she’s lived, worked, and shopped on the same block, counting her steps every time she leaves her front door. But in the enchanting comedy Corina, her world is about to grow. It’s a charming trip tucked inside a character journey that’s lovely to see.

Reviews

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

MOVIE OF THE WEEK March 15, 2024: FRIDA

March 11, 2024March 15, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, biodoc, Carla Guitterez, Cate Marquis, Diego Rivera, documentaries, Fernanda Echaverria del Rivero, Frida Kahlo, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, mexican films, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, nikki fowler, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole

The art and experiences of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo come to vivid life in director Carla Gutierrez’s intimate documentary Frida. Told through creative animation, archival images, and first-hand accounts — with a particular emphasis on Kahlo’s own letters and diaries — the film brings viewers inside the mind and heart of one of the world’s most iconic modern artists, empathetically revealing her near-lifelong struggle with both self-criticism and chronic pain.

Reviews

FRIDA – Review by Sherin Nicole

March 6, 2024March 10, 2024 Sherin Nicole Carla Guitterez, Diego Rivera, documentaries, Fernanda Echaverria del Rivero, Frida Kahlo, mexican films

It’s as though Frida Kahlo‘s illustrated diary alights off the shelves of a mystical library, and opens itself to immerse us in her story. Filled with animated paintings and sketches; coupled with love letters and lovers’ portraits; enlivened by footage and photographs: This is the Frida (2024) documentary. Binding it together are Frida’s written confessions—her heart is the inkwell, infusing the pages with copper and salt. Her blood and tears have spilled onto the screen. That must be how this documentary came to be. But we should ask director Carla Gutiérrez and the wondrous voice actress Fernanda Echevarría if that is indeed the ‘alchemistry.’

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 26, 2024: TOTEM

January 21, 2024January 25, 2024 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Lila Avilés, liz whittemore, loren king, Mateo Garcia, mexican films, motw, Movie of the Week, Naíma Sentíes, nell minow, nikki fowler, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, TÓTEM

The warm, realistic chaos at the center of Lila Avilés’ drama Totem is both charming and poignant, drawing viewers into the hustle and bustle of a large Mexican family preparing for a big party while making it clear that the reason for their celebration is a hard one. Watching it all is seven-year-old Sol (impressive newcomer Naíma Sentíes), who knows that something difficult is coming but doesn’t want to believe or accept it.

Reviews

TOTEM – Review by Leslie Combemale

January 15, 2024January 20, 2024 Leslie Combemale Lila Avilés, Mateo Garcia, mexican films, Naíma Sentíes, TÓTEM

In the most unsentimental of ways, the narrative feature Tótem shows a family walking life’s path encumbered by the worst of circumstances. Mexico’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards, Tótem centers one day in the life of 7-year old Sol (the luminous Naíma Senties), as she helps prepare for her dad’s birthday party. This is the most and least ordinary and extraordinary of days. Birthdays are a time for joy, yes? They are a time for looking forward. And yet, we learn early on this one is different early on. When asked to share a wish she’s made out loud, the audience learns the weight Sol carries on her too-young shoulders. She answers matter of factly, “I wished for daddy not to die”.

Reviews

VICTIMS OF SIN – Review by Diane Carson

January 3, 2024January 9, 2024 Diane Carson Emilio (El Indio) Fernández Romo, mexican films, Ninón Sevilla, Victimas del pecado, Victims of Sin

Victims of Sin a glorious 1951 Mexican melodrama that emphasizes and foregrounds excessive emotional indulgence, by both the characters on screen and, if the director is successful, the audience. A no-holds barred, prime example is celebrated Mexican writer/director Emilio (El Indio) Fernández Romo’s Victims of Sin (Victimas del pecado). Set in México City’s red light district, Violeta, a spectacular Cuban dancer, propels the action start to finish.

Reviews

ROBE OF GEMS – Review by Jennifer Green

September 8, 2023September 9, 2023 Jennifer Green Antonia Olivares, Manto de Gemas, mexican films, Nailea Norvind, Natalia López Gallardo, Robe of Gems

Some 3,754 women and girls were murdered in Mexico last year alone, averaging out to around 10 women killed every day, according to Mexico’s National Public Security System. That’s in addition to the 1,000 to nearly 3,000 women and girls reported missing each year in the country. Natalia López Gallardo’s Robe of Gems conveys the sense of fear people feel in this setting. The film slowly builds a haunting tale of violence, and the very real social context equally emerges in this tale.

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