TV Mini-Series:  DMZ

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Cast: Rosario Dawson,  Benjamin Bratt,  Venice Ariel, Freddy Miyares, Hoon Lee,  Mamie Gummer,  Bryan Gael Guaman

Director: Ernest R. Dickerson, Ava DuVernay

Writers: Riccardo Burchielli, Roberto Patino, Brian Wood

REVIEW

A story ripped from tomorrow’s headlines? Two years ago, the thought of another American Civil War was unthinkable. But today Mr. and Mrs. MAGA America think a new American Civil War is inevitable.

This is the eerily uncomfortable future explored in the HBO Max Mini-Series, DMZ. This futuristic apocalyptic thriller is structured like the classic Escape from New York. DMZ like Escape from New York asks the viewer to take a lovin’ spoonful of suspension of disbelief before crossing the story threshold into this saga of a world gone mad. Fortunately, we have a stellar, well-rounded performance by Rosario Dawson as our guide through the chaos of DMZ.

A future civil war has once again divided the United States into two separate Americas with a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in between. Eight years prior, Dawson lost her young son, Christian (Bryan Gael Guzman) during the evacuation to freedom. She returns looking for him. The DMZ is populated by people of color who exist in a world of violence, corruption and warring tribal gangs. Young Christian is now associated with a powerful faction headed by the brutal Parco, played with wicked relish by Benjamin Bratt. Parco is in a political struggle with an odious oily well-dressed murderous businessman, Wilson, (Hoon Lee). Dawson finds herself embroiled in this bloody power struggle for dominance as she battles to reclaim her son.

DMZ is far and away Dawson’s best performance in a demanding dramatic role. As a despondent mother looking for her long-lost son, Dawson hits every emotional note with pitch-perfect clarity As Alma Ortega, Dawson can at once be vulnerable, strong, resolute, humble, fearful and touching. Her performance will likely generate some acting nomination buzz when award season comes around again.

Producers: Ava DuVernay, Emanuel Fidalgo, Roberto Patino

Production Company: ARRAY Filmworks

Distributor:  HBO Max

Available: HBO Max

Rating: 

FILM: Son of Monarchs 

Genre: Drama 

Director: Alexis Gambis

Writers: Alexis Gambis

Cast:  Tenoch Huerta, Paulina Gaitán, Electra Avellan, Angélica Aragóm. , William Mapoter,Gabino Rodriguez, Angelina Paláez,  Noë Hernández

REVIEW

The butterfly as a metaphor. Mendel  (Tenoch Huerta), returns to his hometown in the awe-inspiring butterfly forests off Michoacán on the advice of his uncle to come to visit his ailing grandmother.

 Mendel has been living and working as a biologist in New York City. Upon his return, he begins to have childhood flashback memories of he and his brother, Simon, (Noé Hernández), wandering through the butterfly forests pondering their beauty and the meaning of their yearly migration which brings them back to this same spot century after century.

 Mendel also begins to question his hybrid identity and where he belongs.

Son of Monarchs is a beautifully shot allegorical story that illustrates the spiritual connection between the butterflies and the Mexican people of Michoacán.

Ninety percent of the dialog in Son of Monarchs is in Spanish with English subtitles. Alexis Gambis, the director of Son of Monarchs, won the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

Producers: Maria Altamirano, Abraham Dayan, Jonathan Estreich

Production Company: Imaginal Disc

Distributor: HBO Max

Available: HBO Max

Rating:

The post Thumbnail Reviews: ‘DMZ’ and ‘Sons of Monarchs’ first appeared on .

The US-Mexico film Hijo de Monarcas (Son of Monarchs) about a Mexican scientist who returns to his hometown in the monarch forests of the state of Michoacan has won the 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Prize for film.

The annual award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation recognizes a film screening at the Sundance Film Festival that focuses on science or technology or portrays a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character. Sons of Monarchs stars Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico, Tigers Are Not Afraid) as Mendel, an immigrant lipidologist who departs from New York to Mexico to attend the funeral of his grandmother. The journey forces Mendel to confront past traumas and reflect on his bicultural identity, sparking a personal and spiritual metamorphosis–similar to a butterfly. 

Son of Monarchs is directed and written by French-Venezuelan filmmaker and biologist Alexis Gambis and features a cast that includes Alexia Rasmussen (Our Idiot Brother), Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez (A Tiro de Piedra), Noé Hernández (600 Miles), Paulina Gaitán (Sin Nombre), and William Mapother (Another Earth).

Hijo de Monarcas, which was filmed in New York and Mexico in both English and Spanish, will premiere at Sundance Jan. 29, with a second screening on the 31.

ENVIRONMENTAL CRITICISM
“As we celebrate the wonderful news for Son of Monarchs, I just wanted to take a minute to point at this injustice and call to action to save the endangered monarch butterfly,” posted Gambis on Facebook, referring to his movie’s selection for Sundance, before the award was announced. He highlights the risks and challenges now facing the butterflies in light of reported huge population declines in the past few years. “The monarch butterfly is threatened with extinction but will not come under federal protection because other species are a higher priority, federal officials announced Tuesday,” he added citing a New York Times article.

IMAGINE SCIENCE
Gambis’s filmmaking mixes documentary and fiction, often honoring animal perspective. His artistic craft and scientific background led him to launch various projects like the Imagine Science Film Festival in 2008 and the science-focused streaming platform and online magazine Labocine. Eight years later, he directed his first narrative feature, The Fly Room, a biographical drama that also deals with science, in this case genetics.

The Alfred P. Sloan Prize has been handed out at the Sundance Film Festival since 2003. The winner receives a $20,000 cash award. 

—Cesar Arredondo

Top Featured Photo: Tenoch Huerta’s Mendel character is a scientist who studies butterflies. (Photo: Sundance Institute)

Check out this video of director Alexis Gambis talking about Son of Monarchs.

The post Mexican Film Wins Alfred P. Sloan Prize first appeared on .