Hatzín, a young boy, heads to a small industrial town in northern Chihuahua to collect the remains of his father, who died in a work-related accident. There he sees Mario, a man whom Hatzín is convinced is his father, alive and well. Mario takes him in, at first reluctantly and then seeing an opportunity, turns the boy into a criminal understudy.
Leaving his home in Mexico City, Hatzín winds up in Chihuahua to get his father’s body. What is he to do now? As he wanders the streets, he sees Mario, convincing himself that the man is his father. Through sheer force of will Hatzín convinces Mario to take him in. Soon, Mario sees Hatzín’s potential–the man recruits, often illegally, rural labor to work in the factories, and soon the boy proves to be as cunning–or more so–than his new “father.” Lorenzo Vigas’s impressive psychological thriller examines the consequences and moral dilemmas left in the wake of grief.
Director Biography
Born in Mérida, Venezuela, Lorenzo Vigas studied film at New York University. He is the director of the short film “Los elefantes nunca olvidan” (2004), and the Venice-awarded feature film From Afar (2015) and documentary El vendedor de orquídeas (2016). The Box (La caja) (2021) is his most recent film.
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