Mecánica nacional

This is a satirical look at Mexican contemporary life. It makes fun of its culture in many ways. Even though it has many dramatic and serious moments, it's a very effective comedy.

The movie is simply about two families from Mexico City that go camping to the mountains outside the city overnight to see the conclusion of a cross country car race. Most of the movie takes place the night before the race. There is a lot of drinking, dancing, and many other things that happen in a big party. And there's like two hundred vehicles camping waiting for the race the next day.

The results are quite funny, specially the climax of the movie, that's a sequence you won't want to miss. It shows the conflict of Latin American principles and traditions against the American/European influence of the car race, and you may be amused when you see which influence is winning. And the very popular Mexican mariachi song played at the end of the movie is very effective at being cynical. (I don't remember the name of the song).

This is a low cost movie (most Mexican movies were low cost on the 60s and 70s, the decline of the industry was very marked) that deals with an imagined situation that has been proposed in literature elsewhere.

A group of people get trapped in a huge traffic jam in their way to assist a motor sports event, the movie follows their adventures, including the death of one of the protagonists that brings out very witty moments of black humour with a very Mexican flavour.

The cast includes some of the most beloved Mexican film stars, some starting, some ending their carriers back then, which should make it interesting for any fans of Mexican cinema.

Of course this movie exagerates that but I think having been born in Mexico City, this movie reflects that very well. Everything happens in one single period of 24 hours. The acting is great and the talking hard to follow in Spanish to everybody but people from Mexico City. I can hardly wait till it comes in DVD. Highly recommended.