Ixcanul (2015)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

For a Mayan family of three living on misty and sable volcano slopes, snakes come in both reptile and human form. Blessings are bestowed upon the family as well. 17 year old Maria dreams of life on the other side of the volcano. This place she dreams of, stretching from the other side of the volcano, across all of Mexico and into the United States, is nowhere that anyone she knows has ever been. Yet her pleasant life picking coffee, cooking and taking care of farm animals is too sedate for her. She intends to bolt from an arranged marriage with her father's boss. In doing so she sets herself up for confrontations between needs; company and independence, city and country, adventure and stability, Mayan and Spanish, and more. In this struggle the real character of Maria will become more apparent.If exquisite cinematography is your thing, you will like this unlikely yet appealing pairing of Guatemala and France. The acting is more convincing for the local talent, for even the best actors in the world would not make convincing Mayans. Kaqchikel is the film language. Ixcanul is available by Netflix snail mail delivery, a delivery that matches the gentle and pleasing pace of the film.

***DEFINITELY HAS SPOILERS!!!***I had no idea what this was when I began watching it--and was blown away! On the surface, this movie does an EXCELLENT job of portraying a culture I knew nothing about. I didn't just 'watch' it--I lived it right along with the characters. Very well done! But I was moved by something more--there were universal themes in this film that run much deeper than just being immersed in an unknown culture, which its tragedies highlighted even more...1) I was deeply touched by the love this mother had for her daughter. At one point she says all she wants is for her daughter to be happy and protected. That emotion transcends all worlds (First World or Third World). All loving mothers hope for something similar for their daughters. The scene where the mother is dragging her daughter--literally bearing her burden--was very real to me. That symbolizes exactly what many mothers are willing to do for their children.2) I found the greatest tension in the film was between generations versus culture shifts. Even though the story takes place in a society with very little education, the daughter is aware enough to know that there is something 'more' out there, beyond the barrier of the volcano. She longs for that, more than she longs for Pepe or for her mother's life recycled for herself (via an arranged marriage). But the daughter is not educated enough to know how to achieve it. With all the domestic skills her mother taught her in preparation for adult life, her mother was unable to prepare her daughter for the advancing shift in culture.At the end of the movie, I was left wondering what the daughter's own children would encounter beyond what she knew, and what tensions--and eventual changes--the next generation would experience because of it, that the daughter herself could not prepare them for. In that way she is destined to repeat her mother's history--of not being able to prepare her children for the inevitable advancing change in culture, thus leaving them just as vulnerable to it as she was.Side Note: While I have great respect for cultures far different than my own, I have to wonder if their evolution into a First World existence is something really to be mourned. I fail to see how one can preserve such culture while still giving women greater freedom. I don't think that's possible without an introduction to the First World and its influence and, I think, is the reason why 'America' is so admired from afar. As grossly imperfect as 'America' is, I know as a woman living here I've enjoyed tremendous freedoms in contrast to the women portrayed in this movie.3) I found it hugely ironic that an unwanted pregnancy (with multiple failed abortion attempts) then became--once successfully done away with--something to mourn over with a funeral. I'm not diminishing the daughter's grief--I don't think she ever really wanted to lose the child. I just found that twist interesting.4) The most significant aspect of this film, for me, was the portrayal of the strength of women and how, regardless of their circumstances, they rely on themselves to meet the demands of daily living. So many young married women I know of today (in my First World existence) look to their husbands to 'fulfill' them emotionally. I have tried to prepare my own daughter for adult life, married or single, by counseling her to learn to be her own best friend and to find healthy ways to fulfill her own emotional needs, even if married. Because ultimately and eventually, life will demand that we stand strong on our own two feet, just as the mother does in this film, even while living in the shadows of a male-dominated society.For those who might find it objectionable, be aware that this film contains nudity and sex scenes, and some violence (animal slaughtered). I don't recall reading any foul language in the subtitles.

WOW ! is the best movie and seen of all time , I fell in love this film because the plot is as sweet to my eyes because It is the best movie and seen in my entire life , besides this My film should be nominated for Oscar yet because it is a beautiful movie and no other film like this ! , and also the Users who do not pay the best rate is they do not know appreciate the true art of a very good movie and forever I will up port this movie because my I marvel this beautiful movie !also this movie is the best movie of Latin America and Spain , also contains a unique language in the world that is the Guatemalan Mayan languages ​​and that alone also the best education and the best sound

Often times in Guatemala, you go watch a Guatemalan film solely for the sake of supporting your country. Ixcanul didn't feel that way, it is truly a film that transcends its origins and offers a story that feels universal. The story tackles topics such as agriculture, arranged marriages, pregnancy, among others. The film has a stunning cinematography and direction, which was quite impressive, some scenes do make use of the shaky camera method, which within context of what's happening in the film kind of make sense, however, they may feel a bit "out of place" considering the attention to detail that the rest of the film has.Although all of the actors are debuting in this film, the acting is stellar, particularly from María Telón who commands the film and really delivers some of it's most powerful and emotionally effective scenes. In some instances, the actors don't need to speak for you to understand their feelings, almost like a silent picture. The Spanish-speaking actors are the only ones that I felt lacking, but their parts are minimal and are hardly detracting to the film.Overall, Ixcanul is an eye-opener to people who are not familiar with the sad realities that the Kaqchikel people have to go through. It's the first film made in Guatemala that feels thought out, as well as culturally important and significant.