I finally watched this (decade after the fact) and now I wonder why I waited so long. I got the chance to show films from Cine de luchadores genre featuring the legendary 'El Santo' to my friend last week, after which we talked about how the genre has shaped Mexican cinema and how often tried to redo the same stuff. The conversation brought this documentary to my mind after few research and, thanks to MUBI, now I can be satisfied and rank this as one of the best love letter to cinema. Firstly, the documentary is loaded with great research, precision and loads of ideas (political, social, formal) to tell a fascinating story: that of a family who gave it all for CINEMA. The filmmaker Viviana Garcia Besne becomes lost in a mesmerizing visual and musical journey back through time and we get to witness the Calderon family fortunes and misfortunes as it unfolds. She is trying to come to terms with her grandfather and great uncles' whose involvement bought bad name to the Calderon family and made some of Mexico's best and worst films. The tension, mystery, the reality, emotional upheaval, the joy (the actresses who were part of 1970s sex comedies -cine de ficheras!) the process and difficulty of completing the documentary is Just wow. Every aspect I can think of so masterfully done but also with real heart and depth. Just wonderful. My deepest admiration for Viviana García-Besné and her soulful determination and complex work in order to give back to her family and the best and truest of Mexican cinema. Was such a wonderful film that transcended the documentary form in my opinion. The whole time I kept thinking "These are my people!" who rebelled against the system and left no stones unturned to keep producing films. This was a deeply touching, amazing encounter. Thank you very much for sharing their stories.
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