Available to rent for $9.99
Held over until March 4th!
Directed by Fernanda Valdez
2020, Mexico/Spain, 94 min
Mexican with English subtitles
This title is available to rent via Cinematheque at Home for $9.99. This is not only an opportunity for our patrons to see new cinema, but is an important way that they can continue to support independent film during this pandemic with 50% of all sales supporting our theatre.
Middle-aged Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez) 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—she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. At the same time, a young man named Miguel (David Illescas) has returned to Mexico after being deported from the U.S., and eventually his path converges with Magdalena’s. From this simple but urgent premise, director Fernanda Valadez has crafted a lyrical, suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror, and which leads to a startling, shattering conclusion. Winner of the Gotham Award for Best International Film and the Audience Award and Best Screenplay prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Reviews
On every level, this is impressively accomplished cinema.
– Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
This is a confident, accomplished and distinctive feature directorial debut[…]
– Dennis Harvey, Variety
You may not want to see Identifying Features more than once… but that’s because once will be enough for it to sear itself into your memory.
– Alex Saveliev, Film Threat
