DIRECTOR: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
STARRING: Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Perez, Sandra Lorenzano, Karla Garrido
RUNNING TIME: 2 hrs 7 minutes
LANGUAGE: Spanish
When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his beloved 4 year old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life in the isolated Mexican countryside. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father's destiny may be inescapable.
***
Sujo marks the second feature from directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez after Identifying Features, which was the winner of the 2020 Sundance World Cinema Dramatic audience award and special jury award for best screenplay. Sujo had its worldwide debut in Sundance 2024 where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Drama. It has since played in San Sebastian’s Horizontes Latinos Film Festival and numerous other film festivals. Alpha Violet represents worldwide rights to Sujo.
The Mexican Film Academy announced Sujo as the winner on September 23rd. It beat out seven other films: Disappear Completely, I Don't Want to be Dust, Pedro Paramo, Human Resources, All the Silence, Bad Actor, and Valentina or the Serenity.
The film is produced by Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez, Diana Casarreal, Jewerl Keats Ross, Devesa, Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre, and Nicolas Celis, with the help of Silent R Management, Pimienta Films, Corpulenta Producciones and EnAguas Cine.
Sujo is a drama and it was filmed in Michoacan, Mexico.
To check out all previous submissions for Mexico, click HERE.
STARRING: Juan Jesús Varela, Yadira Perez, Sandra Lorenzano, Karla Garrido
RUNNING TIME: 2 hrs 7 minutes
LANGUAGE: Spanish
When a cartel gunman is killed, he leaves behind Sujo, his beloved 4 year old son. The shadow of violence surrounds Sujo during each stage of his life in the isolated Mexican countryside. As he grows into a man, Sujo finds that fulfilling his father's destiny may be inescapable.
***
Sujo marks the second feature from directors Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez after Identifying Features, which was the winner of the 2020 Sundance World Cinema Dramatic audience award and special jury award for best screenplay. Sujo had its worldwide debut in Sundance 2024 where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Drama. It has since played in San Sebastian’s Horizontes Latinos Film Festival and numerous other film festivals. Alpha Violet represents worldwide rights to Sujo.
The Mexican Film Academy announced Sujo as the winner on September 23rd. It beat out seven other films: Disappear Completely, I Don't Want to be Dust, Pedro Paramo, Human Resources, All the Silence, Bad Actor, and Valentina or the Serenity.
The film is produced by Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez, Diana Casarreal, Jewerl Keats Ross, Devesa, Jean-Baptiste Bailly-Maitre, and Nicolas Celis, with the help of Silent R Management, Pimienta Films, Corpulenta Producciones and EnAguas Cine.
Sujo is a drama and it was filmed in Michoacan, Mexico.
To check out all previous submissions for Mexico, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
"Do you think people can change their life?"
Mexican filmmakers Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero have once again demonstrated their extraordinary ability to confront the darkest corners of their country’s reality with Sujo, a breathtaking and emotionally charged follow-up to their award-winning Identifying Features. Shifting focus from victims of violence to its perpetrators, Sujo tells the harrowing yet deeply empathetic story of a boy born into a cartel legacy, exploring how systemic poverty and generational trauma shape the lives of those society often condemns. With its lyrical storytelling and poetic visuals, Sujo cements Valadez and Rondero as leading voices in contemporary cinema.
The story follows Sujo, born Josué, a boy orphaned at the age of four after his father, a cartel sicario known as “El Ocho,” is killed. Raised in isolation by his stern but protective aunt Nemesia, Sujo grows up shielded from the violent world of his origins but burdened by its shadow. As he enters adolescence, the pull of his father’s blood-soaked legacy and the lure of cartel life threaten to consume him. Through Sujo’s journey, Valadez and Rondero pose profound questions: Why do so many young men feel there is no way out of their circumstances? And how much agency do they truly have in shaping their lives? These inquiries, woven into a narrative steeped in symbolism and compassion, elevate Sujo beyond mere social commentary to a work of profound humanism.
Sujo is a triumph of delicate artistry. Cinematographer Ximena Amann captures the rugged beauty of Michoacán with breathtaking compositions that balance naturalism and ethereality. The sunlit landscapes, often caressed by overgrown foliage, transform the rural settings into spaces both haunted and alive with possibility. Ghosts of the past walk among the living, appearing not in shadow but in daylight, reinforcing the film’s spiritual undertones. These supernatural elements, seamlessly integrated into the narrative, reflect Nemesia’s belief in a primordial state of innocence—a poignant contrast to the corruption that surrounds Sujo. This visual and thematic layering underscores the film’s central tension between despair and redemption.
The performances are equally compelling, particularly Juan Jesús Varela’s dual portrayal of Sujo and his father, El Ocho. This casting choice deepens the film’s exploration of inherited cycles of violence, as Varela’s restrained, haunting presence embodies both the legacy of destruction and the hope for change. Sujo’s character arc, shaped by the women around him—Nemesia’s austere protection and the mentorship of Susan, a literature professor he meets in Mexico City—offers a glimmer of hope without falling into sentimentality. These women, with their quiet strength and unwavering care, provide Sujo with paths to a life beyond the one dictated by his origins, making his struggle for identity and purpose deeply affecting.
At once heartbreaking and hopeful, Sujo is a lyrical masterpiece that reframes narratives of violence in Mexican cinema with unmatched empathy and artistry. By focusing on the human stories behind systemic despair, Valadez and Rondero challenge us to see beyond stereotypes and confront the forces that perpetuate suffering. With its stunning visuals, powerful performances, and profound thematic depth, Sujo not only solidifies the directors as rising stars of world cinema but also offers a vital meditation on resilience, redemption, and the enduring power of compassion.
(This review contains spoilers.)
"Do you think people can change their life?"
Mexican filmmakers Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero have once again demonstrated their extraordinary ability to confront the darkest corners of their country’s reality with Sujo, a breathtaking and emotionally charged follow-up to their award-winning Identifying Features. Shifting focus from victims of violence to its perpetrators, Sujo tells the harrowing yet deeply empathetic story of a boy born into a cartel legacy, exploring how systemic poverty and generational trauma shape the lives of those society often condemns. With its lyrical storytelling and poetic visuals, Sujo cements Valadez and Rondero as leading voices in contemporary cinema.
The story follows Sujo, born Josué, a boy orphaned at the age of four after his father, a cartel sicario known as “El Ocho,” is killed. Raised in isolation by his stern but protective aunt Nemesia, Sujo grows up shielded from the violent world of his origins but burdened by its shadow. As he enters adolescence, the pull of his father’s blood-soaked legacy and the lure of cartel life threaten to consume him. Through Sujo’s journey, Valadez and Rondero pose profound questions: Why do so many young men feel there is no way out of their circumstances? And how much agency do they truly have in shaping their lives? These inquiries, woven into a narrative steeped in symbolism and compassion, elevate Sujo beyond mere social commentary to a work of profound humanism.
Sujo is a triumph of delicate artistry. Cinematographer Ximena Amann captures the rugged beauty of Michoacán with breathtaking compositions that balance naturalism and ethereality. The sunlit landscapes, often caressed by overgrown foliage, transform the rural settings into spaces both haunted and alive with possibility. Ghosts of the past walk among the living, appearing not in shadow but in daylight, reinforcing the film’s spiritual undertones. These supernatural elements, seamlessly integrated into the narrative, reflect Nemesia’s belief in a primordial state of innocence—a poignant contrast to the corruption that surrounds Sujo. This visual and thematic layering underscores the film’s central tension between despair and redemption.
The performances are equally compelling, particularly Juan Jesús Varela’s dual portrayal of Sujo and his father, El Ocho. This casting choice deepens the film’s exploration of inherited cycles of violence, as Varela’s restrained, haunting presence embodies both the legacy of destruction and the hope for change. Sujo’s character arc, shaped by the women around him—Nemesia’s austere protection and the mentorship of Susan, a literature professor he meets in Mexico City—offers a glimmer of hope without falling into sentimentality. These women, with their quiet strength and unwavering care, provide Sujo with paths to a life beyond the one dictated by his origins, making his struggle for identity and purpose deeply affecting.
At once heartbreaking and hopeful, Sujo is a lyrical masterpiece that reframes narratives of violence in Mexican cinema with unmatched empathy and artistry. By focusing on the human stories behind systemic despair, Valadez and Rondero challenge us to see beyond stereotypes and confront the forces that perpetuate suffering. With its stunning visuals, powerful performances, and profound thematic depth, Sujo not only solidifies the directors as rising stars of world cinema but also offers a vital meditation on resilience, redemption, and the enduring power of compassion.
