499 (film)
499 is a 2020 Mexican-American documentary hybrid film directed by Rodrigo Reyes. The film is a creative exploration of the legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico, 500 years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.[2][3][4] The film had its international premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival,[5] where it won the best cinematography award in the documentary competition,[6] as well as winning the Special Jury Award at Hot Docs the same year. It also won the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Golden Frog Prize for Best Docudrama.[7]
499 | |
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Directed by | Rodrigo Reyes |
Written by | Rodrigo Reyes Lorena Padilla |
Produced by | Inti Cordera Andrew Houchens |
Starring | Eduardo San Juan Breña |
Cinematography | Alejandro Mejía |
Edited by | Andrea Chignoli Daniel Chávez Ontiveros |
Music by | Pablo Mondragón |
Release date |
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Running time | 88 minutes |
Countries |
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Languages | Spanish Nahuatl |
499 has received support from several organizations, including Sundance Institute,[8] Tribeca Film Institute,[9] and the Mexican Film Institute.[10]
Synopsis
Mixing fictional and nonfictional elements, 499 explores the legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico, nearly five-hundred years after Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire.
Release
499 was shown at many film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020.[11]
- Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia[13]
- Portland International Film Festival[14]
- Sofia International Film Festival[15]
- International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam[16]
- The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage[17]
Reception
Director Jim Jarmusch wrote about the film "Rodrigo Reyes has created a strong, beautiful and disturbing film that seems to occupy a genre all its own... 499 deftly weaves brutality with tender beauty, and harsh reality with the realm of dreams."[18]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[19] Bobby LePire of Film Threat calls it "a spellbinding movie anchored by a reliable performance by Eduardo San Juan Breña..."[20]
Critic Carlos Aguilar reflects on the film as "a truly brilliant accomplishment of unconventional storytelling, form and theme coalesce to open a portal where textbook history becomes an active entity and clashes with the present for a forward-thinking exploration."[21]
References
- "499". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Tribeca 2020: 12 Movies We Were Excited to See at This Year's Festival by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, Zack Sharf, Jude Dry, Tambay Obenson". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ""A Time-Traveling Conquistador Confronting Modern Mexicans": Rodrigo Reyes on His Tribeca and Hot Docs Selected 499 by Lauren Wissot". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Tribeca Review: 499 is an Immersive, Evocative Exploration of Violence and Migration by John Fink". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- "499". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Tribeca Film Festival Awards 'The Half of It,' 'Socks on Fire' Top Honors by Chris Lindahl". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "ENERGACAMERIMAGE 2020 WINNERS!". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- "Sundance Institute Supports New Documentary Projects". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "499 Years". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Resultados de la Convocatoria para el Apoyo a la Producción y Postproducción de largometrajes de Ficción y Documental del Fondo para la Producción Cinematográfica FOPROCINE 2019". Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- "499". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Hot Docs Awards: Tribeca's 'Stray' Takes Top Jury Prize". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "499". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "Portland International Film Festival". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "499". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- "499". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- "ENERGACAMERIMAGE 2020 WINNERS!". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- "499 - The Cinema Guild". www.cinemaguild.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- "499". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- "499 by Carlos Aguilar". Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- Aguilar, Carlos. "499 movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved March 12, 2023.