Güeros (2014)

Tomas is too much for his lone mother so she sends him to live with his older brother Federico, aka Sombra, in Mexico City.

Director:

Alonso Ruizpalacios

Writers:

Alonso Ruizpalacios (screenplay), Gibrán Portela (screenplay)

Stars:

Tenoch Huerta, Sebastián Aguirre, Ilse Salas

21 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tenoch Huerta	...	Sombra
Sebastián Aguirre	...	Tomás
Ilse Salas	...	Ana
Leonardo Ortizgris	...	Santos
Raúl Briones	...	Furia
Laura Almela	...	Isabel
Adrian Ladron	...	Moco
Alicia Laguna	...	Esperanza
Camila Lora	...	Aurora
Sophie Alexander-Katz	...	Mamá Joven
Alfonso Charpener	...	Epigmenio
Alonso Ruizpalacios	...	Doctor Ibarra
Bernardo Velasco	...	Inciso B
Yojath Okamoto	...	Pichón (as Yojarth Okamoto Brambila)
Adolfo López Cruz	...	Pedro (as Adolfo Cruz)

Storyline

Tomas is too much for his lone mother so she sends him to live with his older brother Federico, aka Sombra, in Mexico City.

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Plot Keywords:

lost musician | student strike | quest | social unrest | brother brother relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

20 March 2015 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Gueros

Filming Locations:

México City, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Postal Producciones,Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE),Conaculta

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Alonso Ruizpalacios admitted that when he handed the script to Tenoch Huerta he said "this is crap and you are making fun of the people in the strike". But a few days later Tenoch called him to ask how much they were paying and he accepted to play his part in the movie just for the money.

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Soundtracks

Veracruz
Performed by Agustín Lara
Composed by Maria Teresa Lara
Published by Promotora Hispano Americana de Música, S.A. de C.V. (PHAM)
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment México, S.A. de C.V.

User Reviews

A Quiet Coming Of Age Film

"Gueros," is a really fine artsy-farsty coming of age story. It's a quiet Spanish film with English subtitles about a troubled teenage boy in the Mexican countryside, sent to live with his slacker college age brother in Mexico City. The film takes place while the nearby urban university is occupied by student protesters, who often spill into the streets where their anger over economic issues meshes with the poverty of daily life. The older boy is politically apathetic, but his love interest is a leader of the protests, so the energy of the occupation looms large. Along the way the films four main characters travel through the city searching for an elusive almost-rock star whose music played an outsized role in the lives of the boys and their deceased father. The film captures the chaos on the streets as the young boy begins to see the world through new eyes, and as his older brother embraces the cultural upheaval.

"Gueros" is set squarely in Mexico, but it could as easily have been adapted to an American city, and structured around the Black Lives Matter protests. While it's uniquely a Mexican film, the portability of the story gives it wider appeal, and the characters feel like neighbors. It's a rich story told beautifully, and well shot on black and white film. If you are in the mood for a quiet coming of age film set in another culture, "Gueros" will make you smile.