Sujo Explained

Music:Astrid Rondero
Studio:Alpha Violet [1]
Distributor: BEAM Films
Runtime:126 minutes[2]
Language:Spanish

Sujo is a 2024 coming-of-age crime drama film written and directed by Astrid Rondero and starring Juan Jesús Varela.[3] It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. It is a co-production between Mexico, the United States and France.[4]

Premise

The film follows a young boy, Sujo, after his father, a member of a Mexican cartel, is assassinated, and the struggles of growing up without a father, and disassociating from the blood-soaked legacy that he inherits.

Plot

Josué, a sicario for the cartel, is assassinated, leaving his 4-year-old son, Sujo behind. Sujo's aunts, Nemesia and Rosalía, take him to be raised in a remote mountain shack. Sujo spends his childhood in isolation, with only his aunts and Rosalía's sons, Jai and Jeremy.

As the boys grow older, Sujo and his peers rebel and become involved with the drug violence around them. During a turf war, Jeremy is killed, and Sujo's aunt Nemesia sends him off to live in Mexico City.

Release

The film debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival[5] on January 19, 2024. Its festival run also includes screenings at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival ('Horizontes Latinos' strand) and the 2024 BFI London Film Festival.

Damned Distribution set an August 21, 2024 theatrical release date in France.[6] The Forge acquired North-American distribution and set a November 29, 2024 theatrical release date in Canada and the United States.[7] Beam Films acquired distribution films in the United Kingdom.[8]

Reception

Reviewing for IndieWire, Carlos Aguilar graded the film an 'A', citing the film as "intricate in meaning and scope."[9]

In September 2024, the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas chose the film as Mexico's submission for the Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film and for the Academy Award for Best International Film.[10]

Awards and nominations

AwardCeremony dateCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Sundance Film FestivalJanuary 26, 2024World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: DramaticSujo[11] [12]
San Sebastián International Film FestivalSeptember 28, 2024Latin Horizons[13]
Spanish Cooperation Award[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jones . Holly . January 18, 2024 . UTA Snaps Up Domestic Sales for Buzzy Mexican Sundance Title 'Sujo,' 'Identifying Features' Creators' Unconventional Narco Narrative (EXCLUSIVE) . January 27, 2024 . Variety . en-US.
  2. Web site: Soju. Sundance Film Festival. December 7, 2023. December 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231207180752/https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/656a011cfac9f4dcafc03ff6. live.
  3. Web site: Program Guide 2024 Sundance Film Festival . January 27, 2024 . festival.sundance.org.
  4. Web site: Filmfest München unveils its full programme. Economou. Vassilis. 2024-06-18. Cineuropa. 2024-08-08.
  5. Web site: Delgado . Eliza . January 21, 2024 . 'Sujo': Growing Up in Drug Wars - The Daily Utah Chronicle . January 27, 2024.
  6. Web site: Cédric. Lépine. Entretien avec Astrid Rondero, coréalisatrice du film "Hijo de sicario" (Sujo). Mediapart. August 13, 2024.
  7. Web site: The Forge lands North American rights to Sundance prize-winner 'Sujo', plans awards run (exclusive). Jeremy. Kay. September 6, 2024. ScreenDaily.
  8. Web site: Sundance winner 'Sujo' picked up for UK by new distribution outfit Beam Films (exclusive). ScreenDaily. September 10, 2024. Mona. Tabbara.
  9. Web site: Aguilar . Carlos . January 19, 2024 . 'Sujo' Review: A Darkly Lyrical Portrait of the Systems That Force Mexican Men Into the Drug Wars . January 27, 2024 . IndieWire . en-US.
  10. Web site: 'Sujo', Astrid Rondero y Fernanda Valadez, representará a México en los Oscar y Goya. La Crónica de Hoy. 23 September 2024.
  11. Web site: Rodríguez . Andrés . 'Sujo' de las mexicanas Astrid Rondero y Fernanda Valadez, gana el premio a mejor película internacional en Sundance . El País. October 6, 2024. January 26, 2024.
  12. Web site: The Complete List of 2024 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners. Sundance Film Festival. January 26, 2024.
  13. Web site: Taylor . Nick . San Sebastián Announces Their Competition Slate! . The Film Experience . 21 August 2024.
  14. Web site: Escribiendo Cine. Todos los ganadores del Festival de San Sebastián 2024. 28 September 2024.

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