Nudo mixteco

Three stories take place in a small village in the state of Oaxaca. The Sierra Mixteca – a mountainous region between Puebla and Oaxaca – is also called ‘Nudo Mixteco’. A literal translation would be ‘Mixtecan knot’, referring to the three intersecting storylines. Nevertheless, the picture of the traditional village is not pretty. Maria buries her mother, while her father rejects her for her relationship with another woman. Esteban unexpectedly comes back after five years in the U.S. and thinks he can just go back to his wife Chabela and pick things up where they left off. Toña fled to the capital to escape her uncle who abused her when she was a child. But then she discovers that her little daughter, who she left in her mother’s care, is undergoing the same sad fate. Luckily there is a village council to address family matters and where, according to an ancient Mixtecan tradition, all the inhabitants have the right to vote.

The film maker was born in the region and succeeds very well in conveying the local community’s daily life in all its diversity. Apart from some Mexican actors, the majority of the actors is from the village itself. Lifelike cinema, with a strong story and an excellent scenario: ‘Nudo Mixteco’ is a strong debut.