Sujo

Sujo is a Mexican film directed by Fernanda Valadez (Identifying Features) and Astrid Rondero (The Darkest Days of Us), about the childhood and growth of the titular character (Juan Jesús Varela), who is secretly raised in a rural corner of Tierra Caliente, hidden from the enemies of his father, a slain hitman. Valadez and Rondero deliver a story that breaks all the predictable conventions of cinema regarding social marginalization and organized crime in Mexico. While Sujo’s world is not devoid of violence, the directors touch upon the sore spot and expose its social and psychological origins, explicitly rejecting the patriarchal aspirations and codes that breed endless cycles of violence. They do this without falling into naivety, showing, through powerful visual poetry, that there are more hopeful paths.