La tragedia de Macario

Saw this at Sundance and was really impressed - Pablo Veliz is only 23 and this film, based on his father's experiences entering the US as well as the news clip at the end of the movie, is his first. He builds the life of Macario, his jokes, his loving but exasperated wife, Regina, their poverty, the disaster of losing his job, quite slowly so that by the time he and his friend make their attempt to cross the border, you really care about him. The magical realist elements of the 'visions' of the Virgin Mary worked for me. All the music was excellent, and the VM's singing was just lovely. The film gives a name and a face and a life story to just a couple of would-be immigrants to the US.

I bought this movie on DVD thinking that having awarded or nominated for so many awards (shown on cover of the DVD), it must be a good one not knowing that it did not win nor nominated for any (per IMDb)and the writing on the cover is so small that you can't check the source. It is a waste of an hour and a half of your time sitting through a repeat story of a typical struggling South American village family with pregnant wife, sick child, unemployment, corrupted officials, etc. in hope of finding work in U.S. and gambling everything they have to achieve that. The unnecessary long shots, unrelated plots, bad editing, bad camera work and bad acting make this movie one of the worst ones I have seen for quite so long. This is the second disappointing movie from Mexico related to the same issue I have seen recently. The other one is America 101.

This film is a testimony to small independent filmmakers all over the world. With determination, friends, energy and drive (but very little money) good films can make their way to the public. I saw El Tragedia de Macario on Sundance Film Channel, and was mesmerised. Not only is it well-acted, well-executed and heart-breaking, it is obviously a labor of love. The story of dozens of illegal immigrants from Mexico trapped in a container near Victoria, Texas - to die from heat/starvation is TRUE. Applaud to the filmmaker, Pablo Veliz, for documenting the event in this dramatisation. Lastly, this cinematic feat of genius isn't a slick, expensive production, and that's good. In the hands of a big studio and a Spielberg or Rodriguez, it could not pack the same punch.