La zona (2007)

Residents of an enclosed neighborhood in the middle of Mexico DF are shocked by a violent crime, and for one resident in particular, young Alejandro, the drama is ratcheted up when he encounters the lone kid who escaped the event and is hiding out within the neighborhood's borders.

Director:

Rodrigo Plá

Writers:

Laura Santullo, Laura Santullo (story),

Stars:

Daniel Giménez Cacho, Daniel Tovar, Alan Chávez

17 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Daniel
Daniel Tovar	...	Alejandro
Alan Chávez	...	Miguel
Carlos Bardem	...	Gerardo
Mario Zaragoza	...	Comandante Rigoberto
Marina de Tavira	...	Andrea
Maribel Verdú	...	Mariana
Fernando Becerril	...	De La Garza
Claudio Obregón	...	Ricardo
Blanca Guerra	...	Lucía
Andrés Montiel	...	Diego
Mayra Serbulo	...	Ernestina (as Mayra Sérbulo)
Asur Zagada	...	Carolina
German Valdez	...	Eddie (as Germán Váldez)
Pablo Aron López	...	Mauricio (as Pablo Arón López)

Storyline

In Mexico City, a wealthy compound is surrounded by walls and surveillance system to protect the locals against the violence of the slums. During a stormy night, a billboard falls over the wall and three smalltime thieves cross the border through the breach to rob. They break into a house and kill an old lady; the residents organize militias to chase the delinquents. Two of them and one security guard are murdered by the vigilantes, but the sixteen year old Miguel hides in the basement of the teenager Alejandro. When Alejandro finds Miguel, he feeds and helps the boy, but it is impossible to escape from the Zone.

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Plot Keywords:

wall | security guard | hiding | teenager | violence | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Memento Films [fr]

Country:

Spain Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

9 November 2007 (Spain)

Also Known As:

A Zona - Propriedade Privada

Filming Locations:

Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morena Films, Buenaventura Producciones, Fondo de Inversión y Estímulos al Cine (FIDECINE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Episode #5.41 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Harto de la vida"
Brokempo (Carlos Teles)
(p) EMI Music Publishing Spain, S.A.

User Reviews

"Conversational, incisive and consistently intriguing..."

Uruguayan screenwriter, producer and director Rodrigo Plá's feature film debut which he co-produced and which was written by screenwriter Laura Santullo, was screened in the Venice Days section at the 64th Venice Film Festival in 2007, in the Discovery section at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival in 2007, was shot on locations in Mexico and is a Mexico-Spain co-production which was produced by Spanish producer and director Alvaro Longoria. It tells the story about a student named Alejandro who lives in a restricted area with his mother and father which is made for the wealthiest people to protect them from the not so wealthy people who lives in Mexico City.

Distinctly and finely directed by Latin-American filmmaker Rodrigo Plá, this finely tuned fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints draws a gripping portrayal of how a segregated society acts when someone from the other side of the fences that shields them from the unwanted enters their community. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling production design by production designer and art director Antonio Muño-Hierro, cinematography by cinematographer Emiliano Villanueva and use of sound, this narrative-driven story where class distinctions are remarkably evident depicts an empathic study of character and contains a good score by composer Fernando Velazquez.

This socio-political and atmospheric thriller from the late 2000s where a young man gradually learns the true nature of the society he has been raised in and how far they are willing to go to preserve their self-made and idealistic aristocracy, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, esoteric characters and the fine acting performances by Mexican actor Daniel Tovar, Spanish actor Daniel Giménez Cacho, Mexican actress Marina de Tavira and Spanish actor Carlos Bardem. A conversational, incisive and consistently intriguing drama which gained, among numerous other awards, the FIPRESCI Prize at the 32nd Toronto Film Festival in 2007.