Gueros

This starts with the story of Tomas who is sent to stay with his older brother in Mexico City after a water filled balloon incident goes awry. On arrival he finds his bro, Sombra living with his friend Santos in a flat where they steal electricity from a neighbour and are on strike from being on strike at the local University.

Essentially what follows are scenes that are linked together by dint of the fact they are linked together. The subtle stories and plots are full of satire and swipes at society but without ever unpacking what that means. It is filmed in black and white in a narrow ratio aspect so at once looks out of place in line with the characters themselves. It is also art house but without trying to be – there is even a breaking of the fourth wall in places – which took me by surprise and that is what this film is about – surprising you by the ordinary. Part love story, part coming of age, part road trip and part search for a lost rock genius, this is a film that refuses to be type cast and is better for it.

The actors all play this straight in that it just looks unrehearsed and they are adlibbing but you know that is far from the truth. This will not be to everybody's taste – if you like a start a middle and an end then probably best to avoid this but if you like to see things differently and are prepared for a journey that is as aimless as it is vital then you are probably going to really enjoy this really charming Mexican film.