Nudo Mixteco

Saturday, March 19 / 7:00pm / ByTowne cinema

The Horses / Nudo Mixteco

Feature presentation \

three interwoven tales \ strong women \ indigenous Mexico

This striking, impressive first feature by Angeles Cruz is a deft triptych of interwoven and overlapping stories of three Indigenous women unfolding in the Mixtec Oaxaca village of San Mateo. When her mother unexpectedly dies, Maria returns home from the city, only to be met with the contempt of her traditionalist father who rejects her lesbianism. Meanwhile, fellow villager Chabela is surprised by the unexpected return of her long-gone husband Esteban from the United States, confronting him with her new reality and opening their marital strife to a community tribunal. The third story involves clothing vendor Toña, who occupies her time in a passionless relationship and decides she must return to San Mateo to save her daughter from the custody of a deeply troubled uncle. Set against the carnivalesque backdrop of the annual Festival of San Mateo, writer-director Cruz renders a rich narrative weave of these three women attempting to navigate love, sex, and desire within the sometimes dangerous limits of customs and traditions. Assured and authoritative, Nudo Mixteco announces the arrival of a bright new talent in contemporary Mexican cinema.

- Tom McSorley

Short film \

This program is presented by The Embassy of Mexico in Canada.