Rojo amanecer (1989)

Director:

Jorge Fons

Writers:

Guadalupe Ortega (writer)
Xavier Robles (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

October 2, 1968 in Mexico City. There's only ten days for the Olympic Games and a small student's revolt has turned into a major political turmoil...

Plot Keywords:

Revolt | Politics | Family Relationships

Awards:

11 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Héctor Bonilla	...	Humberto
María Rojo	...	Alicia
Jorge Fegán	...	Don Roque
Ademar Arau	...	Carlos
Demián Bichir	...	Jorge
Bruno Bichir	...	Sergio
Marta Aura	...	Neighbor woman
Eduardo Palomo	...	Injured Boy
Carlos Cardán	...	Second lieutenant
Leonor Bonilla	...	Girl
Paloma Robles	...	Graciela
Simón Guevara	...	Boy 1
Sergio Sánchez	...	Boy 2
Roberto Sosa	...	Soldier
Santiago Allende	...	Student 1

Also Known As:

Bengalas en el cielo (Mexico) (working title)
Red Dawn (International: English title)

Runtime:

Canada:96 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Tlatelolco, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Cinematográfica Sol S.A.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Before the military attack we see a clock with the word "Quartz" on its face. In Mexico, electronic clocks were not in common use until the 1970s.

A tragedy that changed the freedom of speech in México, perfectly shown in this movie.

ROJO AMANECER shows perfectly the situation that blackened the lives of hundreds of Mexicans back in 1968. People who watch the movie should understand the truth about the events and then watch the movie to get the director's point of view. Even if you think that the events happened in another way you should still watch this film.

The killings in La Plaza de Las 3 culturas is the most terrible and violent event in Mexican contemporary story. This film showed what really happened in a crude and realistic way. The story is well crafted, the character development is great, and the explaination of how the events ocurred was perfectly narrated through the dramatic plot.

The direction is excelent as it's a dramatic film based on real events, instead of a documentary the dramatic plot fit perfect. The acting couldn't have been better. Consolidated and talented actors like Héctor Bonilla, Maria Rojo, Eduardo Palomo, and Demián Bichir, give the best performances in the film. The score is crude but effective, works perfect with the tension of the film. The cinematography gave a documentary feel, still it worked great.

ROJO AMANECER is without a doubt, one of the best Mexican films of all time. Not only for being a great produced film, it's a film that has the intention to show how things really happened, and sadly, nowadays the events shown in the movie are the pure reflection of a decadent Mexican society.

Excelent film, recommended for everyone. ACTING 10 DIRECTION 10 SCORE 9 FUN FACTOR 10

9/10