The movie has been receiving mixed responses and I can understand why people don't like this one. Personally, I still think it's ambitious.
Filmmaker Amat Escalante has made some pretty interesting movies like "Heli, Los bastardos, and The Untamed" which are movies that are pretty hard to watch but I have enjoyed them quite a bit. With his new feature, while it does have have some faults, this new movie is gorgeously shot, well-acted and has a good ambitious atmosphere throughout.
The beautiful camerawork, the sound designs, and the atmosphere it captures was strong and intriguing to observe. The narrative explores interesting themes about class, culture, and corruption. Admittedly, there are some concepts that could be a little better but I found the narrative to be interesting and pretty engaging to observe. Including the characters which while I wish some of the side characters had some more development, I found myself being interested with their arches and personalities.
The performances from the cast members are all pretty good, including the child performances, and there are some pretty good dialogue moments. Escalante's direction is pretty good as well. The pacing can be slow for others but I was never bored.
Overall, I do think the movie is ambitious and I did enjoy the movie.
