Civil
[The] quiet, introspective scenes ... make [the film's] sporadic - and tensely thrilling - moments of violence thunder all the more powerfully.
La Civil
La Civil tells the story of Cielo, a mother in search of her daughter who has been abducted by a criminal gang in Northern Mexico. As the authorities fail to offer support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands.
Cielo begins her own investigation and earns the trust and sympathy of Lamarque, an unconventional army Lieutenant working in the region. He agrees to help Cielo in her search, because her research data could be useful to his operations as well. Cielo’s collaboration with Lamarque pulls her further into a vicious cycle of violence.
The film focuses on Cielo’s emotional rollercoaster, as she is drawn into increasingly intense and dangerous circumstances. The camera stays close. We never lose sight of her as she gradually transforms from housewife into avenging activist.
As events unfold, Cielo gets closer to the truth: discovering a mass grave, obtaining official DNA analyses, confronting one of the presumed kidnappers, but corruption and apathy keep her from finding resolution. Until the end finally comes, unpredictable and uninvited.
Cielo begins her own investigation and earns the trust and sympathy of Lamarque, an unconventional army Lieutenant working in the region. He agrees to help Cielo in her search, because her research data could be useful to his operations as well. Cielo’s collaboration with Lamarque pulls her further into a vicious cycle of violence.
The film focuses on Cielo’s emotional rollercoaster, as she is drawn into increasingly intense and dangerous circumstances. The camera stays close. We never lose sight of her as she gradually transforms from housewife into avenging activist.
As events unfold, Cielo gets closer to the truth: discovering a mass grave, obtaining official DNA analyses, confronting one of the presumed kidnappers, but corruption and apathy keep her from finding resolution. Until the end finally comes, unpredictable and uninvited.
Genre
Drama,
Women and Film,
Revenge
Runtime
135
Language
Spanish
Director
Teodora Ana Mihai
Writer(s)
Habacuc Antonio de Rosario,
Teodora Ana Mihai
Cast
Arcelia Ramírez,
Álvaro Guerrero,
Jorge A Jiménez,
Ayelén Muzo
Awards:
Nominee, Golden Camera, Cannes Film Festival
Nominee, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival
Winner, Un Certain Regard - Prize of Courage, Cannes Film Festival
MOREFEATURED REVIEW
Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
Teodora Ana Mihai's "La Civil" opens with a luminous medium close-up of a teenage girl named Laura, played here by Denisse Azpilcueta. On her way to a date with her boyfriend Lisander, Laura banters with her mom Cielo, goes coy when asked whether she’s cleaned her room, tells Mom an Adam-and-Eve-in ...
Played at
Royal 3.17.23 - 3.30.23
Glendale 3.17.23 - 3.23.23
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