This is not an easy film to sit through. Its violent, harsh and sometimes too real. The characters in this movie are not nice, and their actions are mostly painful to follow. That's probably the only problem I have with this film: this decadent and depressing Mexico has been the focus of many movies, and most of them haven't done a good job, interested more on the shock and the morbid side of things than in telling a good story or exploring important issues. But 'Espinas' manages to avoid dwelling on the decadence and manages to get it's message across.

'Espinas' was a real surprise for me; it's Julio Cesar Estrada's first film, and it was made on a shoestring budget, but the story is solid, it has some great images and the 'guerrilla style' with which it was shot works for the story. It also has some great performances, especially from Guillermo Gil and Magdalena Cataño. The photography by Arturo de la Rosa is beautiful; it really gives Mexico City an eerie and decadent atmosphere that really adds to the story. 

'Espinas' will be shown in the festival circuit, and will be distributed by Videocine in Mexico later this year. Go see it if you have the chance.

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Espinas

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