Backyard (2009)
"El traspatio" (original title)

The true story of the border town of Juarez, Mexico where since the mid-90's thousands of women have gone missing or turned up as sun-burnt corpses in the desert. Can new police captain Blanca Bravo stop the savagery?

Director:

Carlos Carrera

Writer:

Sabina Berman (screenplay)

Stars:

Ana de la Reguera, Asur Zagada, Marco Pérez

9 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ana de la Reguera	...	Blanca
Asur Zagada	...	Juana Sanchez
Marco Pérez	...	Fierro
Ivan Cortes	...	Cutberto
Joaquín Cosio	...	Peralta
Alejandro Calva	...	Comandante
Jimmy Smits	...	Mickey Santos
Carolina Politi	...	Sara
Amorita Rasgado	...	Márgara
Enoc Leaño	...	Gobernador
Adriana Paz	...	Hilda
Lisa Owen	...	Silvia
Sayed Badreya	...	El Sultán
Juan Carlos Barreto	...	Alvarez
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paloma Arredondo	...	Elvia

Storyline

An astonishing fictional account of the unending series of murders of young women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which began in 1996. Most of the victims are low-paid laborers who have been drawn to the town by the possibility of work at American-owned factories. In the film Mexican police officer Blanca Bravo is sent to Cuidad Juarez to investigate and comes to learn realities of these women's lives, as well as the truth about a police force and local power structure embodied by entrepreneur Mickey Santos that has ceased to care.

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Plot Keywords:

juarez | female pubic hair | mexican border | rape victim | policewoman | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish Tzotzil English

Release Date:

20 February 2009 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Backyard

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tardan/Berman, INBURSA, Grupo Financiero, Coppel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was widely marketed and released in Mexico bearing the English title "Backyard". Its Spanish translation, "El traspatio", was used as an extension of the title, for the sake of clarification.

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Goofs

In the scenes located in Juarez Avenue, it can be seen "transborde" buses and a big led screen with publicity. Those were activated in late 2006. (The story occurs on 1996)

User Reviews

Juarez

Before the explosion of drug cartel violence in Ciudad Juarez was the ongoing murders of hundreds of women, many of whose bodies were dumped in the surrounding desert. Police Detective Blanca (Ana De La Reguera) tries her best to get to the bottom of the murders but runs into resistance at every step, from her commander all the way to the state governor. Juarez was a magnet for women from the impoverished south of Mexico thanks to the opportunities there to work in the maquiladoras. Sara (Carolina Politi) is a young woman from Oaxaca who is among the thousands who come to Juarez seeking work, and in the process being changed by the new life there, where the old conservative traditions are often discarded. Through Sara the movie presents the tragedy of the killings in Juarez, as the boyfriend she jilts after a few dates is taken in by a group of men who persuade him to get even. We never know who does these killings, but the exploration of this gruesome phenomenon is nothing short of fascinating in its look into the attitudes towards these victims. The real star of the film is the city of Juarez itself, as a radio commentator describes the "cobalt sky" and the camera captures the city's outlying areas at near dark. Jimmy Smits plays a wealthy El Paso businessman who owns some of the bars in Juarez and who is revealed to be yet another prime suspect among the seemingly so many who may have played their own parts in these horrible crimes. In the end, the film makes you appreciate the tragedy of this city.