Danzón

The main character goes on a long journey to find Carmelo, her danzon partner, after he fails to show up for their weekly dancing date. She believes that dancing is the only bright spot in her life. On her journey, she makes new friends and has an affair with a younger man. She returns to find Carmelo at home, and realizes that she doesn't need him the way she thought she did. Julia's life has an excitement even without this man.

It was a good film. I watched a subtitled version which was helpful but as always you lose alittle of the content that way.

Maria Novaro has made a mini-specialty of what might be called the "women's road movie." (She has described her later "Without a Trace" as "Thelma and Louise" with a happy ending.) Danzon gives us Julia, a 40-ish telephone operator and single mother of a sulky teenager, who leaves her Mexico City routine when her dance partner--about whom she knows little more than his name--seems to disappear. The movie opens up into lush panoramas when Julia reaches Veracruz, a metaphor for her own blossoming self-discovery. The soundtrack alone--old-fashioned "danzons" (Mexican dance music imported from Cuba)--is worth the rental price.

It´s a great movie

I saw this movie 13 years ago in a premiere in the former cinema picasso, from then and now I see over and over again this movie.

This movie talks the life of julia (maria rojo) his behavior in the job (operator phone) his daughter, and his principal passion the dance calls "DANZON".

Every wednesday she goes to dance with a friend and she meets with his partner in dance carmelo, One day he don´t return to dance and then julia are looking for him (she thinks he has a problem with the mexican laws and he runs away to veracruz), she´s sad by the notice and she runs to veracruz for make a search for him.

In this movie we looking in a frame the old mexican rairoad calls "EL MEXICANO" and all the city of veracruz.

She meets new people, new friends (specially a man dressed like a woman)a hooker, the owner of the hotel and a younger man when she discover she´s still atractive by the men (the russian guy, carmelo, the young man).

The movie take´s a trip in the life of julia before and after and finish when she leaves veracruz and meet again carmelo and they dance

If you have the oportunitty to see the movie in tv or dvd or vhs SEE IT because it´s the few mexican movies made perfectly

my qualification 10/10

DANZON (dir.María Novaro) Julia is a long distance telephone operator in Mexico City who has a passion for the official dance of Cuba, The Danzon. When her partner disappears, she travels to Veracruz to try and discover what happened to him. The film becomes a tender and affectionate journey of self-discovery which leads to a reaffirmation of her sexuality. The various colorful and quirky characters that she meets change her life in subtle, yet fundamental ways. This is not exactly a 'Chick Flic', but Maria Novaro has crafted a film in which femininity is celebrated and revered in an honest and creative manner. A color saturated 35mm print makes this a delight to see-the absolute antithesis of the stark and clinical look of digital photography. Winner of numerous awards.

What would a film for women look like? Well, one possibility is Maria Novaro's wonderful reversal of all of the expectations of male-oriented films. Playing with a number of genres and turning them on their heads, Novaro gives us the story of Julia, an ordinary late thirty-something woman, who, used to playing a traditionally passive, "feminine" role, takes on the active role of searching for her missing danzon partner in a journey that takes her from gloomy Mexico City to sun-drenched Veracruz. In the process she changes from object of the male gaze to bearer of the gaze. The film boasts a super performance from Maria Rojo as Julia and fine supporting performances by Carmen Salinas, Tito Vasconcelos, and Victor Carpenteiro. It is saturated with fantastic Mexican music, especially songs written by Veracruz' native son, Agustin Lara. And then there is the dancing. The danzon, where a single glance may give the game away, becomes a perfect metaphor for Julia's journey of self-discovery.