Noche de fuego

Tatiana Huezo Sánchez who is best known for her documentaries, turns her attention to fiction with a coming of age drama based on Jennifer Clement's novel of the same title. It tells the story of Ana and her two best friends who discover a shocking reality - and a hostile world amidst the drug trafficking in Mexico. It gives a personal touch to something we hear at a distance on the internet. From the first moments of the film, Tatiana chooses to film this through the details, her camera focussing on the minutiae of the environment. She plunges us into an peaceful atmosphere, behind the lush green setup, we feel a discomfort and a lively tension underlying between the villagers. They depends on poppy harvest to make ends meet. There are semi-detached houses with hiding place and girls are made to sport boyish haircuts to escape from the eyes of human traffickers. There is absolutely no hope for the little girls and they tend to get worse as time goes on.

Initially, I was just expecting another usual documentary with realism tag, while storyline does follow the formula, its the treatment that appealed. It has a lot more than one would expect. It seems like a tearjearker war film, but when you dive into it you'll likely see a different pov. The pacing is easy and there is no rush on Tatiana's behalf to get to 'the story', as it were, but rather a strong sense of atmosphere and indulges the viewer through this lack of urgency. It contains an atmospheric and evocative cinematography by Dariela Ludlow Deloya. It is supported with subtle score by Jacobo Lieberman and Leonardo Heiblum. As well as adequate sound design by Lena Esquenazi.

Overall, it is a great proof that this film depicts childhood and adolescence of three girls is by no means exaggerated. It's blends early Jorge Silva, Marta Rodríguez, Alanis Obomsawin's style and is almost like a companion piece to Identifying Features (2020) and Birth Certificate (1961); both thoroughly bleak and does scream for help with no chance for hope.

A good story, a strong direction, very beautiful cinematography and convincing acting.

However, for some reason, I didn't feel the emotional impact I was supposed to. Even if the story is good, the plot is, for too many minutes, uneventful and that pace is an issue as almost removed all my interest on it. I also have some serious problems with the editing (some scenes drag a lot as mentioned but also some strange and incoherent cuts, especially in the classroom).

Horror, even the weird and most brutal films are just that, scary films. Noche de Fuego, based on Jeniffer Clement's "Prayers for the Stolen" is a radical departure from films that tackle the world of drugs and its consequences. Tatiana Huezo's film is an introspective into the life of three children as they grow in a world of violence in the mountains of Mexico where most people work in the world of opium harvesting. Harrowing and crude, the film goes into the depths of humanity, seen from the eyes of three young girls who fear the possible threats of only "living" as kids. The performances are stunning. The casting is superb. The DP created a visual masterpiece. With Tati at the helm, this rollercoaster of a film, will keep you nailed to your seat as it will be engraved in your mind for years to come. At Cannes, the film had wild reviews but, above all, an audience who couldn't believe what they experienced through the first Festival that chose it. A complete success!

Shedding light on the fearful existence & perilous life that women & children are forced to live in Mexican towns ravaged by drug trade, cartel violence & human trafficking, Prayers for the Stolen (Noche de fuego) captures this brutal reality through the coming-of-age journey of a young girl & her two best friends and makes for a gritty, affecting & heartbreaking slice of social realism.

Written & directed by Tatiana Huezo in her feature film debut, the film benefits from her earlier efforts as a documentarian as she utilises a similar raw style & uncompromising approach that adds a realistic touch & unflinching quality to the drama and allows it to unfold at its own pace while remote setting, grim atmosphere & sincere performances further strengthen the material.

However, the emotional impact the film was aiming for doesn't translate as well as it should've, for much of the plot remains uneventful, some scenes drag on for too long while others are cut earlier than expected, thus resulting in a picture that's harsh & harrowing in bits n pieces yet is unable to get under the skin. The film presents the difficult state of affairs but doesn't truly dig into it.

Overall, Prayers for the Stolen explores friendship, endurance, loss of innocence, cartel terror & endemic violence to give the audience an insight into the dark side of modern-day Mexico, and begins Huezo's feature filmmaking endeavours on a promising note if not a rewarding one. The performances are strong & gripping but the characters & situations depicted still required more development & fine tuning. Worth a shot anyway.

Mexico's official entry to 2022's Oscars is simple and slow-paced yet so emotional and tough. The story is heartbreaking, moving, flows smoothly and delivers so much feelings without any forced efforts. Performances are solid and real. Cinematography is stunning. It's not everyone's cup of tea though.