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

18 wins & 10 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
Andrés Montiel	...	Diego
Claudio Obregón	...	Ricardo
Blanca Guerra	...	Lucía
Mayra Serbulo	...	Ernestina (as Mayra Sérbulo)
Asur Zagada	...	Carolina
Germán Valdés III	...	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 | teenager | security guard | violence | hiding | 

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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 [France]

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, Fondo de Inversión y Estímulos al Cine (FIDECINE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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

Yo me voy pa' la cumbia
(Bruno Garciía - Sargento Garciía)
© 2006 by Delabel Editions / EMI Music Publishing France. Edicíon autorizada en exclusiva para todos les países del mundo a EMI Music Publishing Spain,
S.A. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

User Reviews

Hats off to the director

This one started out with a lot happening with too many characters doing their thing and it took me a while to really get a grasp of what was actually going on. I was a bit fidgety for the first 30 minutes or so. However once I realised what was going on, I sat transfixed.

The movie is not so much about the story , which is fairly simple about a heist gone wrong, and to a certain extent predictable . It is more of a comment on Mexican society and the class struggle. And since I myself come from a society not too different from the one depicted, I could completely relate with the happenings. Other than that, the film also covers issues like families struggling to keep together, the lack of communication, xenophobia, self-righteousness and the basic human instinct of violence, rage and revenge.

The direction is simply brilliant and it is equally matched with the acting by every single character. The only other film I can compare this to is the great Italian film, L'Aria Salata. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to watch it and I highly recommend it for all people seriously interested in cinema. It will leave you thinking for a long time afterwards. I would definitely watch it a second time.