Noche de Fuego
Tatiana Huezo offers up a murky, mesmerizing look at what it feels like for young women to come of age in a town where they have targets on their backs.
Mexico has witnessed over 80,000 disappearances since former President Felipe Calderon declared a war on drug cartels in 2006. A quarter of the missing are women - the majority of them teenage girls.
Huezo slowly lets the story unfold, telling it through a series of small episodes that add up to a chilling climax. We sympathize with Ana and her friends as we, too, try to piece together all the facts to understand what’s transpiring in this village; there’s a strong air of mystery keeping the world of adults just out of reach.
Rather than focus on the terror of living in a cartel-torn area, the film becomes a tale of strength, heartbreak, and jaw-dropping beauty.