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Oficio de Tinieblas
Mexico 1981
produced by Conacite Dos
directed by Archibaldo Burns
starring Enrique Lizalde, Julissa, Manuel Ojeda, Monica Miguel, Lilia Prado, Tito Junco, Malena Doria, Lupita Lara, Aurora Clavel, Ana De Sade, José Carlos Ruiz, Ignatio Retes, Eduardo Cassab, Guillermo Gil, Candido Cueto, Juan David Burns, Queta Carrasco, José Luis Rojas, Fernando Pinkus
screenplay by Archibaldo Burns, based on the novel by Rosario Castellabos, music by Manuel Enríquez
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Mexico, 1934: In a remote part of the country, an official tries to set
into motion land redistribution plans by the gouvernment meant to correct
social injustices - but of course, the landowners of the region very much
oppose this plan as it would mean losses on their behalf and give the
Indios they exploit as cheap labour too much power. Surprisingly though,
the Indios also oppose the plan, first and foremost because it might be well-meant, but it's not
all that well-conceived. Plus, the Indios
distrust the gouvernment and white man as such because they have been
fucked over a few times too often. The official finds his only ally in
the local priest, who really wants to help the Indios, but fights a losing
battle against pagan superstition among them. And when he finally thinks
that Christian beliefs have caught on with the natives, that leads to even
more disastrous results, as the Indios have mixed Christianity with their
own faith and now crucify a little boy as a launching pad for their revolt
- a revolt that is smashed as soon as the first shot is fired. The Indios
get drunk and want to desecrate a church, since they blame Christianity
as such for their revolt's failure, but ultimately fail in even doing
that. With their failed (if justified) revolt, the Indios have played
right into the hands of the landowners, who use this event as an argument
against the land distribution plans - and as a result, the Indios get
fucked over yet again. An interesting movie inasmuch as it
transports its political subtext not in the form of a message movie, but
plays along the rules of genre cinema rather nicely, pacing the film like
a mystery/thriller and featuring action and sex aplenty, without ever
losing itself in the more sensationalist aspects of the story though. That
all said, the film's main virtue is also its vice, since the movie's main
message (about the exploitation of the Indios) is presented a bit too
bluntly to really come across as as compelling as it would have deserved
to. Still, a rather enjoyable film that's also intelligent without ever
becoming brain-heavy.
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