Three Mexican films have made it onto The Guardian’s ‘50 Best Films of 2021’ list in the U.S. and the U.K. The British newspaper, releasing new picks every weekday, has already announced Michel Franco’s cynical thriller New Order / Nuevo órden in 40th place on their U.S. list and 38th on the U.K version; Fernanda Valdez’s critically-acclaimed migration drama Identifying Features / Sin señas particulares in 23rd place on both lists; and Alonso Ruizpalacios’ captivating docudrama A Cop Movie / Una película de policías in 21st place on the U.S. list. All films had releases in the U.S. or U.K. (or both) in 2021.
New Order, Michel Franco’s sixth feature film, is a suspenseful dystopian drama in which a lavish upper-class wedding goes awry in an unexpected uprising of class warfare that gives way to a violent coup d’etat. As seen through the eyes of the sympathetic young bride and the servants who work for — and against — her wealthy family, New Order breathlessly traces the collapse of one political system as a more harrowing replacement springs up in its wake. The film took home the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at this last edition of the Venice Film Festival. In the words of The Guardian, Michel Franco “leaves no room for sympathy or redemption in [his] violent, cynical thriller, a brutally unforgiving attack on Mexico’s super-rich that delivers a vivid warning against the consequences of inequality.”
The Sundance-award-winning Identifying Features from Fernanda Valadez and co-writer Astrid Rondero follows Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez), a middle-aged mother who has lost contact with her son after he took off with a friend from their town of Guanajuato to cross the border into the U.S., hopeful to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him — and to know whether or not he’s even alive — Magdalena embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. Identifying Features has received critical praise and awards from the Morelia International Film Festival, the Zurich Film Festival, the San Sebastian Film Festival and more in addition to sweeping Mexico’s 63rd edition of the Ariel Awards presented by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, winning in nine categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best First Film, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography.
A Cop Movie, Alonso Ruizpalacios’ third feature film after Güeros (2014) and Museo (2018), is a genre-bending docudrama that takes audiences deep into the Mexican police force with the story of Teresa and Montoya, together known as “the love patrol.” In his thoroughly original and unpredictable documentary, Ruizpalacios plays with the boundaries of nonfiction and immerses the audience in the human experience of police work within a dysfunctional and corrupt system. The Netflix original took home the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 71st edition of the Berlin Film Festival; the award was presented to Mexican editor Yibrán Asuad for his editing work on the film.
In addition to these three Mexican films, the Argentine-Swiss co-production Azor by Swiss filmmaker Andreas Fontana in his feature debut has landed in 9th place on the U.S. list. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s directorial debut Tick, Tick…BOOM! has also found a spot on both the U.S. and U.K. lists in 28th and 27th place, respectively.
To check out the rest of the list and watch for the top ten selected films, head over to theguardian.com.
