Super 8
Synopsis
(Asalto al Cine) The Cinema Hold Up is a vibrant, authentic, and wonderfully observed portrait of the tempo and texture of today’s Mexican youth culture. First-time feature director Iria Gómez Concheiro draws pitch-perfect performances from the talented ensemble cast and registers a strong and original voice in Mexican cinema. Negus, Chale, Sapo and Chata are teenagers who grew up in the same rundown district of Mexico City. They spend their days listening to hip-hop, smoking marihuana and fantasizing about the opposite sex. One day they have the bright idea of robbing a movie theater, jeopardizing the one sure thing they have in life – their friendship. An explosive, entertaining comedy with impeccable performances, this original, unpredictable debut establishes Iria Gómez Concheiro as a promising new voice in Mexican cinema. Gómez Conchiero acknowledges a debt to Italian neorealism and Brazilian Novo Cinema, and she has a liking for gritty locations, long tracking shots and non-pro actors. Yet she doesn’t push any sort of sociopolitical agenda, and her work here (shooting entirely in Mexico City’s colorful yet notorious Colonia Guerrero) has an effortless sense of place. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
