Mexico 55 Medals
With the border of Mexico being a relatively short drive away from the cinematic behemoth known as Hollywood, you could be forgiven for thinking that Mexico would suffer from somewhat of a Napoleon complex. Instead, it has produced some of the finest pieces of world cinema exports and has a glittering array of stars and directors who have actually gone on to become big players over the border. Guillermo Del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandor Gonzalez Innaritu have all transferred to Hollywood successfully. However, they have done so by taking their roots with them, adapting the Hollywood system around their values and ideas which were developed in their Latin American heritage. Mexican cinema itself has a rich history from the silent era to the modern stage. Having adopted great directors such as Alejandro Jodorowsky and the surrealist Luis Bunuel in its fruitful past, Mexico is known as a nation with a high quality output. And although Latin Americas cinematic output has increased in the modern era, Mexico continues to be at the base of its foundations. Unfortunately in Mexico, the multiplex is full of Hollywood imports rather than its national cinema, leaving its impressive exports to be the only real evidence of success on the far wider reach of the international stage. Bronze Los Olvidados (Luis Bunuel, 1950)
A bronze medal is nothing to be ashamed of; in fact, if you were not even born in the country in which you achieve the medal, well, that should be lauded. And so here lies the Bunuel choice. Luis Bunuel made many films while living in Mexico, films that have been praised by many. Exploring the life of a homeless boy named Ojitos, Bunuel steps away from the stage set pictures that had dominated Mexicos golden age and explores the streets. It obviously hurt Bunuel to make this film, where his surrealist imagery, which essentially made him the director he is seen as today, takes a back seat to the injustice of poverty. It is an extremely dark film, whereas Rodriguez showed the downtrodden lower class fighting back and achieving some sense of justice, Bunuel embraces the injustice with a complete lack of romanticism. Poverty is an extremely bad part of society and Bunuel lives within that statement. It is a sharp turn from Bunuel who will forever be known for his attacks on the bourgeoisie, but this examination of Mexican poverty should not be ignored in his canon. Silver - Nosotros los pobres (Ismael Rodriguez, 1948)
Made during the extremely fruitful golden age of Mexican cinema, Nosotros Los Pobres is considered to be the film that truly kick-started Pedro Infante into his ascent to idol status in Mexico. He stars as Pepe, a poor carpenter living in an extremely underprivileged neighbourhood with his adopted daughter and the many eccentric characters around them. The film is a dark portrayal of life in the poverty stricken side of Mexican life. The heroism shown by Pepe to overcome the obstacles of working class life is indicative of Rodriguezs films. The working class hero was a staple in his work and in this film, the first of three which is vitally important when examining the divide between the poor and the rich. Often criticized for his simplistic assessment of poor characters being good and the rich being bad, Rodriguez held no punches in his evaluations of Mexican society and with this film and the two sequels it spawned (the first trilogy in Mexican cinema) he became a cultural voice for the underclass. Gold - Y tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron, 2001) & Amores Perros (Alejandor Gonzalez Innaritu, 2000)
Obviously presenting the gold to two films might seem like cheating. However these two films are extremely important in contemporary Mexican cinema, so we shall refer to them as a two-man diving team. With Y Tu Mama Tambien, Cuaron utilises three extremely impressive performances from three brilliant contemporary actors. The chemistry between Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Meribel Verdu is electric; it simmers with passion as the two boys of the film come of age sexually courtesy of Verdu. Once the narrative is in place and the three attempts a road trip to what the boys describe as la Boca del Cielo or Heavens Mouth to you and I; we are shown the true beauty of Mexico. Their escape from the growing political uprising in the city to the sexualised surroundings of Mexicos landscapes is nothing short of stunning. Its lesson to live every minute of your life as if it was your last is inspiring and extremely poignant at the same time. Instead of focusing upon this mantra, Innaritu goes the other way with a focus upon death with Amores Perros. With three interweaving stories all set around a car crash, Amores Perros focused upon the cruelty within humans and a lack of loyalty which is represented by the presence of dogs in the three stories. Again it is Gael Garcia Bernal who stars but it is the performance of Emilio Echevarría who truly displays the films themes. His particular encounter with dogs is a cinematic moment which is incredibly powerful emotionally and for me is unforgettable in every sense of the word. Both of these films have a style that can be likened to Western traditions with very similar editing and focus on quality filmmaking; however, the narratives and themes are deliberately Mexican. On their own these films can win, but together they show the strength of contemporary Mexican cinema. Click "next" below for Part 4 - "Argentina"...