Film

7 pm Duncan Bridgeman’s 2012 film has been described as “a musical reflection on the current state of Mexican identity,” “an inspiring road trip through modern-day ‘Mexicanity,’” and “a beautiful and rhythmic cinematic tapestry.” Shot over multiple locations, from the Mexico City subway to the Tijuana border, from remote mountain area to beaches, the brilliant, colorful cinematography showcases the beauty of the country. With music underlying the various broad themes—such as love and death—explored in the film, elders and youths, including singers, poets, actors, scholars, and media (more…)

7 pm Based on the novella The Pearl by John Steinbeck, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the movie, La perla is the tragic fable of a Mexican fisherman who finds a valuable pearl and begins to fantasize about untold wealth for himself and his family. His wife, at first uncertain as to whether the pearl is an omen of good luck, also falls under its spell, and the couple’s naiveté leads to their exploitation and to the realization that the precious gem brings only death and

7 pm Margarita, a young woman abandoned by her faithless fiancé, struggles to raise her small son in Mexico City during the difficult early years of the Mexican Revolution. Her troubles are exacerbated by entanglement with La Banda del Automóvil Gris (the Gray Automobile Gang), the members of which dressed in military uniform and used false search warrants to gain entrance to homes and terrorize the city’s wealthy residents in 1915. The third of five films in this series, presented in partnership with the Mexican Consulate in

7 pm The plot of Bugambilia, set in Guanajuato in the 1800s, was inspired by Rodolfo Usigli’s poem “The Bugambilia,” dedicated by Usigli to Dolores del Río; the melodrama has been called the Mexican version of William Wyler’s Wuthering Heights. Amalia, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy miner, arouses the passions of all the men around her, but succumbs to an ill-starred romance with the poor but dashing Ricardo. The second of five films in this series, presented in partnership with the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque. 1945;

7 pm Flor silvestre, the first film in a long collaboration among director Emilio Fernández, cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, and actors Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz, is a microcosm of Mexican society during the Revolution. José Luis, the son of a rich landowner, is disowned by his family when he marries Esperanza, a peasant woman, and joins a revolutionary movement. Years later, Esperanza recounts to their son the turbulent events that follow. The first of five films in this series, presented in partnership with the Mexican Consulate

6 pm A New Mexico Short Film. Sharlyn Cline is the long-time mistress of an aging ex-mafia leader, Carlo Pinelli. She and her daughter, Jessica, are lined up to receive Carlo’s worldly possessions. But unexpected people & events threaten to unravel Sharlyn’s carefully laid plans. $5 w/ $1 off for students and seniors