It is a passionate plea for tolerance and understanding, for reason to prevail over dogma. Set amongst the mundane and unattractive backdrop of an industrial rail yard on the impoverished outskirts of Mexico city, Rotberg has created haunting compositions that confronts and forces viewers out of their complacency. What the film is trying to tell may not be totally unique, but it is the manner in which it conveys the message that leave us speechless. It must have been tough making such a film at the time when Mexico wasn't yet a modern democracy. It is nevertheless a relentlessly unforgiving film - the first part would've put many people off, where a young acrobat has incestuous relations with her ailing father - it is shocking but handled delicately, considering the circumstances under which this happens. Some may also be put off by the catastrophic ending, but the bulk of the film however is all about redemption and salvation, asking pertinent questions like "when is love a sin", "doesn't God forgive all those who love" and so on. To the end we're left asking, who is the sinner in all this that require any redemption.
The film uses exquisite folk imagery like puppets, kitsch backdrops, and local beliefs to avidly capture the essence of a different, but altogether real Mexico. It speaks to me in so many levels, and it is also one of the socially important films to have come out of this fascinating country. It's hard to believe Dana Rotberg hasn't made many more films, she is one of her country's hidden treasures that should be more widely celebrated.
The characterisation and screenplay is well thought out, as is the delicate direction and cinematography. The soundtrack is haunting with a mixture of folk rhythms interspersed with sounds from nearby industry and distant barking (a symbol of human presence). Not least the magnetic performance of the beautiful Evangelina Sosa, who plays the melancholic and angelic Alma, a thirteen year old acrobat and fire breather using the titular name at a dilapidated circus. This is a gem of a film, and therefore, Highly Recommended Viewing..!
Amazon DVD Link
(there are some good deals going there at the time of this post)
Compilation: Evangelina Sosa
Made from several scenes. I felt compelled to enhance this compilation as the DVD was stamped predominantly for older television sets. Here's a snapshot from the original DVD (left), and my enhanced version (right).
It took my computer well over 9 hours to process this, that's not including my earlier unsuccessful attempts, but I hope it was all worth it..!
Scene Guide:
- In the circus called life, with a mother who'd run away long ago, the ailing father is the closest thing to love for Alma, which unfortunately spills into incest. Just when she learns of her pregnancy, her father dies. After discovering Alma's pregnancy, the wife of the circus owner asks her to get rid of the 'monster' if she wishes to stay in the circus.
- Alma seeks refuge with a travelling preacher/priestess, who with her 'prophet' son Sacramento and Noe, an orphan child, draw audiences with their puppet show. God had just spoken to the priestess, and as penance for her sin, Alma will have to endure heat, hunger, and public nudity, apart from having her unborn child aborted, so that the priestess' son Sacramento can be one more step closer to God.
- A disillusioned Alma returns to the circus, which she knows would also mean taking up additional duties like prostitution. Being dealt a cruel hand by fate, Alma finds it hard to come to terms with her loss.
- Alma visits Sacramento when he's alone for one more chance of salvation - she knows he likes her more than his mother did. But Sacramento desires Alma, for which 'sin' he had been torturing himself. She asks him why he is punishing himself if he was born without sin. But sin he commits, as he succumbs to his desire for Alma. While leaving, Alma asks little Noe not to believe if anyone said Sacramento was sinless.
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