This sounds downright captivating. Teodora Ana Mihai's Revenge Narco-Western La Civil is coming to cinemas in the U.S. starting in New York on March 3rd.
Cielo’s teenage daughter, Laura, is kidnapped in Northern Mexico. Despite paying several ransoms, Laura is not returned. When the authorities offer no support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands and transforms from housewife into vengeful militant.
Winner of the Winner of the Un Certain Regard, Prize of Courage at Cannes,La Civil had started out as a documentary from Mihai, centered on true events surrounding a woman named Miriam Rodriguez.
When I started following her, documenting her life, it soon proved a way too tricky road for an observational documentary: the region was very unsafe and I felt too censored by the circumstances and the content of the plot, which was managing a good amount of sensitive information. So the decision was taken: we would write a fictional story, inspiring ourselves of two years and a half of valuable research material I had gathered by then.
We don't have an official trailer from the distributor right now, so we've got from one of the film's producers Menuetto Films.
Zeitgeist Films Announces the U.S. Theatrical Releaseof LA CIVIL, the Debut Fiction Feature by Teodora Ana MihaiWinner of the Un Certain Regard, Prize of Courage at Cannes,the "Revenge Narco-Western" Opens Friday, March 3at Film Forum in New York City, Followed bythe Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles, and Other CitiesLa Civil tells the story of Cielo, a mother in search of her daughter, abducted by a criminal gang in Northern Mexico. As the authorities fail to offer support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands.Cielo begins her own investigation and earns the trust and sympathy of Lamarque, an unconventional army Lieutenant working in the region. He agrees to help Cielo in her search, because her research data could be useful to his operations as well. Cielo’s collaboration with Lamarque pulls her further into a vicious cycle of violence.The film focuses on Cielo’s emotional rollercoaster, as she is drawn into increasingly intense and dangerous circumstances. The camera stays close, we never lose sight of her as she gradually transforms from housewife into avenging activist.As events unfold, Cielo gets closer to the truth: discovering a mass grave, obtaining official DNA analyses, confronting one of the presumed kidnappers, but corruption and apathy keep her from finding resolution. Until the end finally comes, unpredictable and uninvited....The story was inspired by true events.A ZEITGEIST FILMS RELEASE in association with KINO LORBER