By Jane Bauer

“What’s the point of being an Australian guy traveling through India if you are going to go to India to meet other Australians?”
Alfonso Cuaron

My first experience with movies in Mexico was when the traveling movie caravan came to Mazunte while I was living there in 1997. They set up a tent in the field by the elementary school and showed a double feature of an old Mexican black and white film and Die Hard. Everyone in the village came out since most people didn’t have electricity, let alone televisions. The chance to watch something was a novelty.

When the first theater in Huatulco opened at Plaza Madero in the early 2000s it felt like we were being vaulted into modern times. I love movies so much that when I was pregnant I would make the two-hour drive from Puerto Angel to Huatulco to rent videos- not DVDs- because the selection was better than what was available in Pochutla.

While many people love to immerse themselves in Mexican culture through tacos and tequila, film is often overlooked because of the language barrier. But I believe film is a wonderful way to begin to understand the nuances and attitudes of a culture.

In this issue our writers explore Mexican cinema and there are enough amazing films mentioned to keep you busy but I can’t resist recommending a few more.

La Caida (Dive) 2022
Beautiful cinematography contrasts the precision of profesional diving with the subtleties of grooming by a seasoned abuser. Inspired by the true story of the sexual and mental abuse allegations on the Mexican diving team. Karla Souza, the Mexican actress who plays the lead, trained for three years to portray the Olympic diver.

Güeros (Gueros) 2014
Filmed in black and white, the cinematography captures the wildness, chaos and freedom of youth in the 90s. I was hooked from the opening scene. Two brothers go searching for folk-rocker Epigmenio Cruz on the streets of Mexico City during the student strikes of 1999.

La gran seducción (The Great Seduction) 2023
This fun movie is about a big city doctor sent to a small fishing village that has suffered economic hardship. The residents think that if the doctor decides to stay it will improve their circumstances and set about to woo him. This is a remake of a Canadian film that was first made in 2003 and then again in 2013.

See you in November,

Jane