The Wall of Mexico

The Wall of Mexico is a comedy-drama film directed by Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak.[1] The film, starring Jackson Rathbone, Esai Morales, Marisol Sacramento and Carmela Zumbado, revolves around a wealthy family who build a wall around their water supply in an attempt to prevent theft of their water by local townspeople.[2]

The Wall of Mexico
Film poster
Directed byZachary Cotler
Magdalena Zyzak
Written byZachary Cotler
Produced byAdrian Durazo
Marla Arreola
Sarahi Castro
StarringJackson Rathbone
Esai Morales
Marisol Sacramento
Carmela Zumbado
CinematographyLyn Moncrief
Edited byGabriel Foster Prior
Music byZachary Cotler
Production
companies
  • The Winter Film Company
  • Spécola
Distributed byDark Star Pictures
Release dates
  • March 8, 2019 (2019-03-08) (SXSW)
  • October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2019, went on to play at other US and international festivals, was released in 2020, and received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

The wealthy Mexican-American Arista family hires a new white handyman, Don (Jackson Rathbone). Don, mentored by veteran groundskeeper Mike (Xander Berkeley), labors at the ranch for months and comes to learn that something unusual is going on there, something having to do with the Arista's well; the water level keeps going down even when it rains. Meanwhile, Don has become enamored with the daughters of the family, Ximena (Carmela Zumbado) and Tania (Marisol Sacramento), especially Tania.

One night, Don and the patriarch Henry (Esai Morales) chase a group of thieves away from the well. Don becomes aware there may be something unusual about the water itself. Henry orders Mike and Don to hire a crew and build a giant wall around the ranch to thwart future thieves. This action leads to an altercation between the nearby mostly white town and the Mexican-American family. It also leads Don to insatiable curiosity about the well and to actions with major consequences.

Cast

Release

The Wall of Mexico is a 2020 theatrical and VOD release by Dark Star Pictures.[3]

The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 8, 2019 and screened at various other festivals that year,[4] including the Nashville Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Haifa International Film Festival, and the American Film Festival.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 64% based on 11 critic reviews.[6]

Review website and magazine The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of the actors in the film, particularly those of Morales, Rathborne, Berkeley, Hemingway, Sacramento and Zumbado.[2]

American newspaper The Austin Chronicle reviewed the film positively, stating "Although the film’s allegorical references are easy to suss out, it is nice to see our current border wall mess addressed from the other side of the divider. Drug-fueled scenes are filmed via subjective techniques worthy of a contact high."[7]

Critic Danielle Solzman praised the film's political complexity, stating "The Wall of Mexico is quite the allegorical response to the Trump administration. It’s even more ironic when one realizes that this American-made film was filmed south of the border. That’s a win for the Mexican economy nonetheless.  Honestly, I can’t stop laughing at this part."[8]

Awards and nominations

In 2019, at the American Film Festival, the film was nominated for the Narrative Feature award.[9]

References
  1. "Film Threat Reviews".
  2. "'The Wall of Mexico': Film Review | SXSW 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  3. Mack, Andrew (September 10, 2020). "THE WALL OF MEXICO: Poster Premiere and Trailer For a Stylish And Scintillating Thriller". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  4. "The Wall of Mexico". SXSW 2019 Schedule. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  5. "The Wall of Mexico". The Winter Film Company.
  6. "The Wall of Mexico (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  7. Baumgarten, Marjorie (March 9, 2019). "Film Review: The Wall of Mexico". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  8. "SXSW 2019: The Wall of Mexico". Solzy at the Movies. 2019-03-09. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  9. "American Film Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
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