@Cinequest Movie Review by @StrongArm408: Gonzalez

 

Gonzalez is one of those films that sticks with you. Featuring some very convincing performances from Harold Torres & Carlos Bardem. The writing was subtle yet convincing, and combined with the stellar cinematography and director’s knack for unfolding the story seemlessly, this film provides an overall great payoff. At times it may feel like its a bit slow, but this is all part of the build-up.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/gbEnESxVdGQ[/youtube]

I was lucky enough to hear director, Christian Diaz Pardo explain some of his influences after, and its no secret that being the Martin Scorsese Stan that I am, that I found his film to be intriguing as he listed Scorsese as his main influence. Some of the scenes had a very Bringing Out The Dead/ Taxi Driver type vibe. This is a film I strongly suggest to audiences who appreciate character driven films that make valid points about some of our society’s institutions which misuse their power. The subject matter may seem controversial depending on your beliefs, however I felt Pardo did a great job shedding light on several socio-political issues that plague societies, using Mexico as the backdrop/example for his points.

 

Gonzalez is showing at 4:15pm on Saturday March 7th at the California Theatre.