SPOTLIGHT: FILMS FROM MEXICO

Amores Perros (2000) Alejandro Inarritu DVD VHS
A horrific car accident connects three stories about love and loss in Mexico City. One of actor Gael Garcia Bernal’s first films.

Aventurera (1950) Alberto Gout DVD
Ninon Sevilla stars in this noirish “cabaretera”- a beautiful young woman is caught between a soap-opera plotline and elaborate floor numbers set in a nightclub. Hokey and enjoyable.

Chac: The Rain God (1974) Rolando Klein VHS
Unique story of a village’s attempts to solve drought by appealing to the powers of a mysterious mountain-dwelling diviner.

The Crime of Father Amaro (2002) Carlos Carrera DVD VHS
Politics and sexual passions threaten to corrupt a young, newly-ordained priest in a small Mexican town. Gael Garcia Bernal stars.

Cronos (1992) Guillermo del Toro VHS
A bizarre device that brings eternal life to its owner causes havoc in the lives of a dying tycoon, his nephew, and the man who found the thing.

Danzon (1991) Maria Novaro VHS
A woman goes on a journey of self-discovery after her dance partner disappears.

Deep Crimson (1997) Arturo Ripstein VHS
Set in 1940’s northern Mexico, this film retells the story of “The Lonely Hearts Killers”, a famous couple of murderers who preyed on lonely and wealthy widows.

Desperado (1995) Robert Rodriguez DVD VHS
Fun remake of El Mariachi starring Antonio Banderas.

Dona Herlinda and Her Son (1986) Jaime Humberto Hermosillo VHS
The ultimate Latino Yiddishe mama meddles in her homosexual son’s love life.

Dust to Dust (2000) Juan Carlos de Llaca DVD
A pair of cousins bring their grandfather’s ashes to Acapulco in this light comic road movie.

El Mariachi (1992) Robert Rodriguez DVD VHS
A down-on-his-luck musician gets mistaken for a hitman in this low budget western comedy. Followed by Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

El Norte (1983) Gregory Nava VHS
A brother and sister make their way to “the North’, i.e. the USA, after their lives are disrupted by the Guatemalan army.

El Topo (1970) Alejandro Jodorowsky VHS
This cult western is one of the strangest movies you’ll ever see.

Erendira (1983) Ruy Guerra VHS
Based on a section of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel “100 Years of Solitude.” An innocent young girl is sold into a life of sexual slavery and gets involved with a man who wants to save her…

The Exterminating Angel (1962) Luis Bunuel VHS
Dark satire about a bunch of dinner guests who find themselves mysteriously unable to leave the room…

Frida (1984) Paul Leduc VHS
Ofelia Medina portrays Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist. The film is conceived as a deathbed reverie, in which Kahlo’s life is recalled like pieces of a puzzle scattered across the floor.

Frida (2002) Julie Taymor DVD VHS
Salma Hayak stars in this terrific portrait of the life of Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo (1982) Eila Hershon & Roberto Guerra VHS
A well-made documentary about the Mexican artist.

Herod’s Law (1999) Luis Estrada DVD
A poor janitor who is appointed Mayor in a small desert town soon realizes that corruption is hard to resist.

Highway Patrolman (1991) Alex Cox VHS
A simple man gets dragged into the big, corrupt world…From the maker of Repo Man, filmed entirely in Spanish.

The Holy Mountain (1973) Alejandro Jodorowsky VHS
A Christlike figure wanders through bizarre, grotesque scenarios filled with religious and sacrilegious imagery. Weird and shocking.

Japon (2002) Carlos Reygados DVD
A suicidal man develops an unusual relationship with an elderly woman in rural Mexico. Inspired by Tarkovsky’s mystical epics. (available Oct 12, 2004)

Like Water for Chocolate (1993) Alfonso Arau DVD VHS
A lovelorn daughter takes revenge by allowing her passions to surface through her cooking. She manipulates the emotions of all who eat her food- with some very strange and magical results.

Los Olvidados (1950) Luis Bunuel VHS
A group of juvenile delinquents live a violent and crime-filled life in the festering slums of Mexico City.

The Pearl (1947) Emilio Fernandez VHS
Based on the John Steinbeck novel, the story of how sudden wealth corrupts a small fishing village.

Pepe (1960) George Sidney VHS
Cantinflas in an enjoyable horse movie.

A Place Called Chiapas (1998) Nettie Wild VHS
Documentary about the status of the Zaptista uprising that broke out in 1994.

Que Viva Mexico (1930) Sergei Eisenstein VHS
Upton Sinclair hired Eisenstein to make a movie about Mexican culture in 1930. The production ran out of money and was shut down. 40 years later, the film was reconstructed by Eisenstein’s assistant Grigori Alexandrov.

Santa Sangre (1998) Alejandro Jodorowsky VHS
Hallucinatory, dreamlike study of one individual’s disturbed psyche. Another weird one from the maker of El Topo.

Santitos (1998) Alejandro Springall DVD
Magic realism and comedic-melodrama swirl together in this hagiographic tale about grief, faith and desire.

Simon of the Desert (1965) Luis Bunuel VHS
Another religious satire from surrealist Bunuel.

Susana (1951) Luis Bunuel VHS
A beautiful woman causes havoc among a group of men, twice.

Todo el Poder (2003) Fernando Sarinana DVD
The black humor story of an insecure filmmaker who gets mixed up with the
criminal element in Mexico City.

Without a Trace (2000) Maria Novaro DVD
Two women forge an unlikely friendship while on the run.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2002) Alfonso Cuaron DVD VHS
Steamy coming-of-age story starring Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. Witty, vibrant, and intelligent. And hot.