Pégame

I had the pleasure of viewing Pegame in a special pre-screening and highly recommend it. The film beautifully captures the realism of rural Mexican life, blending tribal spiritual influences with overt pressure to adhere to strong Catholic family values. It's unique take on the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog flips the dynamic we usually see in film and TV, adding a layer of surprise and depth. The score stands out, combining dark new age tones with traditional Mexican folk music and acoustic elements reminiscent of Jimmy Page, effectively foreshadowing shifts in character dynamics. A thoughtful, haunting film well worth watching.

The characters are few, the dialogue sparse. This could be a waking dream, the kind that is unsettling yet inescapable.

The two principal actors are fantastic, in particular the female lead, as she has the more complex character to play.

The uses of light and sound are fantastic.

One scene may be in sharp contrast. In another the sun seems to be in your eyes, blurring and obscuring things in a way that you trying to look around it. In many light takes a back seat to sound, but that's always intentional.

The soundtrack is not an afterthought. It's another essential character, setting the mood for every scene. Never quite loud enough to dominate, always loud enough to inform the mood and make its presence inescapable, both of which it does brilliantly.

Few films hold that I watch at home hold my attention so tightly that I watch them uninterrupted. This is one of them. There's not a loose moment anywhere. And few leave me convinced that something escaped me the first time around. This one does, and I will watch it again, both for pure enjoyment and to see if I can find something I missed.

Pegame is an absolutely beautiful film! There are some just absolutely beautiful and stunning shots in this film. The story shows a lot of culture and trauma and the story is so real and heart touching and relatable! The music to this film is also absolutely stunning and beautiful and goes so well with every scene! The composer is so creative and talented! The cast and characters are so perfect and help with the film feeling so relatable! It just grabs your attention from the beginning! Everything goes together just so perfectly! You can tell and feel all of the hard work and love that was put into this! Great movie and I highly recommend it!

The pacing of the film is steady, unhurried, and precise. There is no rush to resolution. Scenes are given time to land, and the music offers a place for the viewer to feel whatever emerges. In this film, emotion arrives through tone, silence, and vibration.

Visually, the film is intimate and intentional. The camera often lingers just a beat too long, forcing us to sit with our discomfort, our judgments, and our empathy.

Pégame does not rely on explanation. It moves through sensation. The experience is full-bodied, immersive, and emotionally charged.

This film is not always easy to watch but it's impossible not to feel. And that, in large part, is due to the way music becomes a pulse running through every frame.