Nudo Mixteco
Impressive feature debut in which Mexican director Ángeles Cruz creates an extraordinary picture of traditional life in the highlands of Oaxaca where she grew up.
San Mateo, a village in the highlands of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, is preparing for the town’s patron saint’s celebration. María, Esteban and Toña have returned to the village, not so much to celebrate, as it turns out. All three carry their own story with them. Leaving was not easy, their return is not easy either.
It is a personal story, but universal at the same time. Cruz herself grew up in the region – a rural mountainous area with local cultural traditions – and uses this setting to tell a story about the consequences of migration on the personal lives of both the migrants and those who stay at home. Living in a village community that relies heavily on tradition suggests security and mutual protection. But there is also discrimination, abuse of power and mistreatment, often directed against women. Yet the women in her film are not victims, but fighters for equal rights, self-preservation and freedom of choice. A fascinating, almost anachronistic sketch of a contemporary rural community still living in the past. (ej)