Pedro Páramo

Having read the book first, I'm a little torn on which I like better.

Some moments in the story hit better on paper. Overall, however, the movie is easier to follow. It's a very faithful adaptation in terms of what happens in the plot. The visuals & transitions between scenes do a great job of helping the viewer understand the cacophony of characters & the constant jumping around between places in the timeline. Simply being able to see which character's face is talking & how old they look makes it easier to fit all the pieces together-even if some vague aspects are left up to interpretation by the end.

They also do a good job of leaning into the horror elements. They don't simplify the plot to reduce it to a jump-scare thriller. It simply has some nice moments of creepy tension. Tenoch Huerta-Mejía performs well in these scenes.

Similarly, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo performs so believably as Pedro Páramo, being somehow sympathetic (you believe he's having the emotions he shows) despite all the horrible shit he does.

In the end, I have to give the slight edge to the movie. It works better.

I didn't know this was adapted from a novel until I read some of these reviews, but now that makes sense. There is a depth of pain and sorrow wrought from the passions and injustices of our human condition in every frame of this film, and I am guessing in every page of the novel, which I have not read. Some reviews seem to think it does not do justice to the book, but imo, as a film it is beautifully tragic. And very well filmed and acted. There are probably many cultural elements about the story I missed, like One Hundred Years Of Solitude, but also like that film it's a fabulous and deep work. My only complaint is I lost track of some of the characters, who they were and what time they represented. But it all came into focus later. 8/10.

Pedro Páramo follows Juan Preciado, who travels to the abandoned town of Comala to find his father, the ruthless landowner Pedro Páramo. In Comala, Juan encounters spirits who reveal the dark legacy of Páramo's cruelty and power.

The movie is an exceptional adaptation of the book of the same nam by Juan Rulfo. I think its stunning cinematography, set design, and costumes truly enhance the visual experience. The acting is also solid and well-executed.

Unlike some opinions, I didn't find the movie boring at all; on the contrary, it kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

However, it's not a movie for everyone, as it requires some mental effort to follow the shifts in time. But for those who enjoy narrative challenges, it's a fascinating experience.

A mother's last wish is for her son, Juan, to visit the father he never knew in a distant town. Juan finds the town abandoned and yet swirling with life. Nothing is as it seems. Apparitions appear and drift away. Pedro Páramo, the father, lays claim to the town and its inhabitants, and yet strangely his soul also belongs to them. Juan risks being swallowed by the miscreant spirits, the terrible deeds, and all the heartache. Not the inheritance he expected.

With intoxicating dance sequences, a profusion of light and color, flashbacks, capable acting, and the amazing cinematography of Rodrigo Prieto, the film and cast bring Juan Rulfo's 1955 masterpiece of magic realism to life. "If you want to understand who we are as a country," said one of the actors "then open the book."

The best part of the film is the characters. They are not good or bad, just human. Director Rodrigo Prieto, who was present for this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, said that the characters fascinated him too. "Each character" he said, "has something about ourselves." Have an internal journey of your own in the magic and darkness of this film, a reflection of the Mexican soul.

I live in Small city from the north of Mexico and I feel really related to this movie. My grand mother told me a few story's about our ancestries and events that happened time ago on our city. And I can tell you that the people in Mexico it really acted like that. I loved this movie I really recommend to watch!!!. Im going to tell you one of my grandmother story "one time in my city a guy wearing a charro suit was walked around the streets until he find the guy that he was looking for and he just shot him right in the chest and killed him, then he walked away disappearing in the dry river while the police and people were looking for him,but no one never knew who he was or why he kill the guy from my town.