Aquí y allá

Pedro returns to his native village in the mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, having spent several years working in the USA. While away he managed to save some money to help support his wife and two daughters back home. Besides looking forward to a loving family reunion, Pedro also hopes to fulfil his dream of setting up an amateur band. But his longed-for homecoming is not as idyllic as he imagined. Antonio Méndez Esparza concieved his film as a picture of life in a Mexican village today, where despite the long distances many villagers often have to travel to work, families remain closely-knit. The intense feeling of reality he evokes is due in part to his unwavering focus on his subject, but also to his decision to cast non-actors and give them creative space in which to improvise. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)