Valentina or the Serenity

(Valentina o la serenidad)
Ángeles Cruz | Drama, Fiction

2023 | 85 minutes | Mexico

Young Valentina uses all her might to believe that her father is still alive. This poignant tale of loss is uplifted by the joyous nature of love.

Synopsis

Mexican filmmaker Ángeles Cruz returns to her Indigenous community of Villa Guadalupe for her second feature film, a tenderly poignant tale of loss inspired by her own childhood.

Valentina's life is shattered when her beloved father drowns in a nearby river. Refusing to accept the body at the funeral as his, Valentina becomes convinced he's still alive and will return home.

Her conviction deepens when she accidentally falls into the same river and hears his voice speaking in Mixtec, a language she's never learned. Valentina's unwavering belief affects her grieving family and begins to impact her schoolwork as she waits by the river for another message, enlisting her friend Pedro to teach her Mixtec.

An exploration of love and mortality from a child's perspective, "Valentina or the Serenity" is ultimately an uplifting ode to life.

Reviews

“A refreshing take on death and grief by an industry mostly focused on the violent cartel-related deaths that affect the country.” — Aldo Álvareztostado, International Cinephile Society

"Indigenous Mexican filmmaker Ángeles Cruz (SIFF 2021’s Nudo Mixteco) explores our complex relationship with loss through the eyes of a young Mixtecan girl who, in her heart, refuses to believe her recently deceased father has truly left this earthly realm." — Hebe Tabachnik, Seattle International Film Festival

Citation
Main credits

Cruz, Ángeles (film director)
Cruz, Ángeles (screenwriter)
Cruz, Ángeles (film producer)
Ahumada, Isis (film producer)
Ahuja Aparicio, Danae (actor)
Bravo, Myriam (actor)
Mendoza Sanchéz, Alexander Gadiel (actor)

Other credits

Cinematography, Carlos Correa R.; editing, Felipe Gómez; music, Alejandra Hernández, Ruben Luengas.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
Valentina or the Serenity,Valentina o la serenidad,Angeles Cruz,Ángeles Cruz,Drama,Mexico,México,Oaxaca,Villa Guadalupe Victoria,indigenous people,Mixtec,mixteco,coming-of-age,girl,childhood,grief,mourning,growth,self-discoveryfamily,friendship,rural,rural community,woman filmmaker,woman director,indigenous peoples,indigenous people,indigenous,native,native people,native peoples,aboriginal people,aboriginal,aborigine,indigene,indigeneity,tribes,tribal,tribal people,tribal peoples,family,kin,fellowship,household,immediate family,extended family,multigenerational family,multigenerational household,kinfolk,family tree,genealogy,nuclear family,modern family,family tree,economics,social class,money,capital,capitalism,class,economy,prejudice,intersectionality,inequality,poverty,income gap,wage gap,class warfare,elitism,snobbery,bourgeois,poverty,upper class,middle class,lower class,nouveau riche,sociology,anthropology,psychology,sociological,sociological perspectives,conflict theory,human conflicts,sociological thinking,conflict perspective,topics in sociology,sociology topics,sociology studies,social studies,people and cultures,human relations,human relationships,cultural studies,culture studies ,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation,latin american studies,caribbean american studies,island studies,latin american culture,latin american history,latin american politics,caribbean american culture,caribbean american history,caribbean american politics, latin american languages,latin american and caribbean studies,hispanic american studies,hispanic people,hispanic culture,hispanic politics,north america,america,us,usa,united states,united states of america,us mexico and canada,map of north america,north american countries,states of north america,provinces of north america,countries of north america,continental america; "Valentina or the Serenity"; Pragda Films
Clips
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Festivals

Toronto International Film Festival; Huelva Iberoamerican Film Festival - Best Film - Best Acctess (Myriam Bravo); Morelia International Film Festival;

DIRECTOR: Ángeles Cruz

NATIONALITY: Mexico

YEAR: 2023

GENRE: Drama, Fiction

LANGUAGE: Spanish; Mixtec; Indigenous languages; Other languages

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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