Guanajuato 2013 Begins Today! Here Are Some Films Not To Miss

Fruitvale Station July 19, 8 PM (San Miguel de Allende) & July 26, 8 PM (Guanajuato Capital)

The opening film of the festival is already a huge success with critics and audiences alike. It features The Wire’s Michael B. Jordan and won the Audience Award and Gran Jury Prize in Sundance, as well as the Prix d’Avenir d’Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

Sean Smithson highly recommended it in his review for Twitch; I quote the following:

"When I first heard that a film based on the shooting of Fruitvale, California resident Oscar Grant had been made, it set off an explosion of hopes and concerns for me. You see, I have a very close connection with the East Oakland neighborhood, having grown up there myself, kicking around those streets from my pre-teen years into my early 20's. Was this going to be an angry diatribe against The Man (in this case, a team of BART police, BART being the Bay Area Rapid Transit, our version of the subway), and a one dimensional rendering of "Da' Hood" like so many other films have been?

Thankfully, no."

Searching for Sugar Man July 22, 6 PM (San Miguel de Allende) & July 24, 2 PM (Guanajuato Capital)

Perhaps everyone who comes from Mexico City, like myself, has already seen this masterpiece of a documentary. Curiously, it was part of the official documentary selection of GIFF 2012 but now comes in the section of Oscar winning films. If nothing else comes across, I’ll sure watch Searching for Sugar Man, with the incredible Sixto Rodriguez, for the fourth time!

Heli July 24, 8 PM & 9 PM (Guanajuato Capital)

Thanks to this film, Amat Escalante won for Mexico the Best Director award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. That should be more than enough to give it shot, plus with two screenings it officially opens the activities in Guanajuato Capital on July 24.

Él (Torments) July 25, 9 PM (Guanajuato Capital)

Luis Buñuel died on July 30, 1983. In honor of Buñuel’s 30th death anniversary, GIFF 2013 is hosting a series of events, including the screening of Él (Torments). This Buñuel film opened in Mexico on July 9, 1953, so the evening is also to commemorate its 60th anniversary.

We Are What We Are July 25, 11 PM (Guanajuato Capital)

Mexican director Jorge Michel Grau is coming to the GIFF 2013 to have a good time but also to check how things are going for the American remake of his debut feature Somos Lo Que Hay. Todd Brown reviewed the original at Cannes 2010, and here are some of his words:

"Though I will need to double check my notes for the past few months before saying this definitively, Jorge Michel Grau's debut feature Somos Lo Que Hay may just be the best film I have seen all year. This is not to suggest that it does not have its flaws - because it does - or that it will be to everyone's taste - because it won't - but Grau has just delivered the most confident, poised and unique debut to hit screens in quite some time."

Did I mention We Are What We Are will be exhibited at a Guanajuato graveyard?

The Films of Danny Boyle and Darren Aronofsky

Yes, we all have seen the entire (or most of the) filmography of these two great directors. But they are coming to Guanajuato so it would be almost a crime not to enjoy again one or all of their movies during the festival. It’s also a great opportunity if you haven’t seen, for example, Shallow Grave or Pi on the big screen! Here’s the menu, so pick your choice (s):

Danny Boyle (Guanajuato Capital)

Shallow Grave, July 25, 9 PM

Trainspotting, July 25, 11 PM

Slumdog Millionaire, July 26, 10 PM

28 Days Later, July 27, 3 PM

Darren Aronofsky (Guanajuato Capital)

Black Swan, July 24, 12 PM

Pi, July 24, 6 PM

Requiem for a Dream, July 25, 1 AM

The Fountain, July 26, 8:30 PM

The Wrestler, July 26, 9 PM

Only God Forgives July 27, 9 PM (Guanajuato Capital)

Nicolas Winding Refn’s newest, enough said.

I’ll just add that Only God Forgives is the official closing film of the festival, and that Twitch’s 5 Days Of Refn was an incredible prelude to its US opening. And to quote Ryland Aldrich’s review for ScreenAnarchy:

“Refn returns to this mode in his latest film, Only God Forgives; an art film disguised as another bloody crime actioner. But where Drive impressed with its taut story, Only God Forgives relies on its technical elements to bring the viewer along. Fortunately, these elements are immaculately executed, serving up one of the most impressive films of the year -- and a true feast for the senses.”