6 Films to watch instead of Emilia Perez
- Armando Hernandez
- Feb 1
- 5 min read
Emilia Perez is a film that portrays Mexico in the worst & weirdest ways possible. And I don’t mean that as a quirky compliment.
It was hilarious to see certain people praise Emilia Perez in the beginning of its hype & only to quickly turn on it when it won several Golden Globe Awards over more favorable films and ultimately the realization that Emilia Perez truly isn’t a great film—let alone as a Mexican-set film.
I watched 20 minutes of Emilia Perez and it bored me and I felt embarrassed by it. I cannot believe people wanted (or still want) this film to be the next big thing and to also call it a Mexican film despite it being a mostly French-produced film.
Anyway, Emilia Perez fucking sucks, Netflix sucks, and why waste all that money on a subscription service with shit titles when there’s legally free good stuff to watch online & some that are under $10 to watch. These 6 titles I picked are very sporadic, but I felt these are worthy of your money & time. They’re also all made by Mexican directors who actually live & know of the culture. All appreciated.
Nosotros Los Pobres (1948)
From the golden age of Mexican cinema. A Mexican neorealism film from director Ismael Rodriguez. This one has it all: Strong melodrama, beautiful music numbers, amazing acting, and plenty of tear-jerker scenes.
Olor a Muerte (1986)
The legacy of Ismael Rodriguez continued on since “Nosotros Los Pobres” with more great films he made and then his children followed his footsteps. Ismael Rodriguez Vega (Ismael Jr) made a notoriously brutal gang film set in the grittiest parts of Mexico and it is a must see. Olor a Muerte translates to “Smell of Death” and the film truly lives up to its title. This film reeks of death for sure.
Read my full review: https://www.trashmex.com/post/olor-a-muerte-1987
La Inocente (1972)
In the mood for something overly-emotional, exaggerated & exploitive? Rogelio A Gonzalez’s La Inocente has you covered!
La Inocente tells the story of a young mentally-handicapped woman named Constancia who’s raped by the neighbor boy Juan whom proceeds to kill himself after his horrific actions. Constancia then becomes pregnant & gives birth to a baby girl who’s given the name “Juanita”. Constancia’s mother Alicia struggles to care for Constancia & now has to care another child. What could possibly go wrong now? Well, a lot actually.
Durazo: La Verdadera Historia (1988)
From 1976 to 1982, Arturo Durazo Moreno “El Negro” was the chief of police in Mexico whom was very corrupt and got away with many brutal criminal acts that he & his goons were doing.
During his incarceration in the mid-1980’s, Arturo was still being visited by many friends of his which consisted of people he worked with in the police force and even people in the Mexican entertainment business. Arturo was a friend to many.
Rumor Mill: After the release of the film “Lo Negro Del Negro” (1985), Arturo was not happy to hear how horribly he was portrayed in the film and so he asked film producer Rogelio Agrasanchez to make a film that portrayed him “accurately”: a heroic man who was framed for crimes he never committed. Rogelio obliged and with director Gilberto de Anda, they made Durazo: La Verdadera Historia (Lo Blanco Del Negro).
I will say, this film is very entertaining since it’s action-packed & the portrayal of Durazo by Sergio Bustamante is quite good. Maybe a little too good since ya know… this film isn’t really accurate.
El Bronco (1982)
Let’s have a little getaway from the city and head out to the beautiful beach scenery of Mazatlan, Sinaloa.
El Bronco is a simple film about a young man (played by Valentin Trujillo) who dreams of becoming a boxer and he succeeds in doing so. There’s of course conflicts arising with becoming a prized boxer & the woman that our boxer loves so much has troubles of her own when it becomes known that her father is a criminal and he plans on marrying her off to a crime boss’ son.
I may sound kind of corny, but this is like a really good film to watch with family or friends or a significant other. It’s very chill and it’s entertaining all the way through. This must’ve been so fun to go see in theaters back in the day and luckily today it’s accessible to watch online.
Huachicolero (Gasoline Thieves) (2019)
In the mood for something a little more “new”? Well I got the film for you and this one will blow you away with its brutal but real portrayal of Mexican crime & the youth that succumb to it.
Directed by Edgar Nito, Huachicolero (The Gasoline Thieves) tells the story of a young boy from a small town in Mexico who really wants to buy a smartphone for a girl he’s smitten of. While the boy does work little jobs around town, he still cannot afford the phone he desires to acquire and thus gets involved with a gasoline-stealing ring. This job provides enough money for the phone & then some; but this also leads to some dire consequences that cannot be escaped.
For me, Huachicolero is by far the better Mexican film that came out just before 2020 struck. While other Mexican films garnered more attention (ex. "Roma" & "Ya No Estoy Aquí"), I feel Huachicolero deserved the same kind of attention as well. It did receive some accolades & rave reviews, but it still didn’t quite reach the top as it should have.
If you’re looking for a Mexican film that will really strike a nerve (or all of them) and truly want to see the real atrocities of Mexican crime in the modern era, then Huachicolero is the go to film.
Hope you like this assortment of Mexican films to watch instead of Emilia Perez. Now you’re probably thinking why didn’t I list “Macario”, “Maria Candelaria”, “Roma”, “El Lugar Sin Limites”, etc etc. Well, I’m tired of seeing writers/journalists picking the same high-rated Letterboxd titles for their articles and even using AI to generate lists for them, so I went a direction where it’s real personal selections & films that deserve to be seen some more.
Fuck the basics. Dig deep and find more.