User reviews

Very interesting film that addresses a topic that is important not only in Mexico, but also in Central America and other regions of the world: The kidnapping of children and young people and the resulting despair of the parents. The helplessness, as the parents cannot trust anyone, especially the police and other state authorities.

At this point, the outstanding performance of the leading actress stands out: Arcelia Ramírez

She plays the mother who, out of sheer desperation, starts to take matters into her own hands and sets out to find her kidnapped daughter.

The film accompanies them on this painful odyssey.

For the kind of acting she does, she definitely deserves recognition in the form of awards!

Briefly summarized: The film is worth seeing for many reasons.

La Civil is a drama film directed by Teodora Mihai, based on the true story of Miriam Rodríguez Martínez, a mother who hunted down the kidnappers and killers of her daughter in Northern Mexico. The film stars Arcelia Ramirez as Cielo, a housewife who transforms into a vengeful militant when her teenage daughter Laura is abducted by a criminal gang.

The film follows Cielo's relentless pursuit of the truth and justice, as she faces corruption, violence and indifference from the authorities and society. She uses social media, private investigators and her own courage to track down the culprits one by one, risking her life and sanity in the process.

The film is a gripping and heartbreaking tale of a mother's quest for justice that exposes the harsh reality of living under the threat of cartel violence. It also showcases the remarkable performance of Ramirez, who portrays Cielo with nuance and intensity. She conveys Cielo's pain, anger, determination and vulnerability with authenticity and power.

The film does not shy away from showing the brutality and cruelty of the kidnappers or the consequences of Cielo's actions. It also does not offer easy answers or resolutions to Cielo's dilemma. It leaves the viewer with questions about morality, justice and humanity in a world where lawlessness prevails.

La Civil is a gripping and heartbreaking tale of a mother's quest for justice that will leave you breathless and moved.

There are many great things about this film, it captures a horrific reality with the kind of realism that we basically never see out of Hollywood. At the same time however, I do feel the film did miss in a few important areas as well. Nonetheless, this is a scary film because of its realism. Mostly the film is very effective. In all honesty, this is easily more gut wrenching than Sound of Freedom, mainly because the scenes here mostly feel even far more real. Most people don't even want to see films like this, films this authentic feeling, films this scary. Nonetheless, if you're interested, it's definitely well worth a look in my view.

7/10.

This film not only reflects a harsh reality that is lived in some parts of Mexico, but also has a narrative that captures your attention.

Most Mexican films that portray a harsh reality of the country are slow and very interpretive, which can be negative or positive for the public, but this film has an easy-to-digest narrative that keeps us attentive to what will happen next, in addition to not rambling and developing the characters extensively. This story is raw and shocking, something that many Mexican families live, with a narrative that people can connect with the film, of course there are some things that are left to interpretation but they are very few. The characters are well developed and the performances are phenomenal, the quality of this movie seems like Hollywood, compared to the movies that are used to made in Mexico, since most of them look very cheap. The ending is interpretive, I liked that since it is an artistic aspect of the film.

I do not want to say much about the plot since each twist is shocking and unexpected, the director knows how to capture a story with a good narrative that is not boring and that at the same time has a good development and represents a reality without preaching the audience.

This tale could quite easily have been told in ninety minutes. It's a fallacy to think that a worthy story needs well over two hours in which to be told.

So very little happens for so very long that when there are some developments as we approach the one hour mark, the pace becomes almost dizzying. But eventually things calm down again and we are back to things progressing at a snail's pace.

So while the reality portrayed here is truly appalling and heartbreaking, I really don't think this film adds much of value. And I did struggle quite a bit with Cielo's naivety and apparent invincibility.