Je ne suis plus là

Excellent movie about a group of youngsters in a poor neighbourhood in Mexico lose themselves in Cumbia music. They design a counter culture and even with little or no money they express themselves in a street style that would be looked on in awe by peers in cities around the world.

The movie tells the story of friendship and youth and when a tragedy occurs how quickly things can change for the worse. This movie show the similarities in youth culture where they are subjected to ridicule, aggression, ostracised but even with all that their street cool is a massive attraction. If you look at history the eidelweiss pirates who were into jazz and fought the hitler youth in Germany or the working class English kids from north of England who danced to soul music they all have links irrespective of the country or time period.

Using authentic kids in the casting brought a real life element to this movie and it was believable and interesting to follow the twists and turns of one kid trying to get by and keeps getting knocked down, however music was always there as an escapism for him. Highly recommended.

As a middle class mexican from the northwest of the country, the Monterrey cholombiano subculture is not one that I'm too familiar with (remember Mexico is huge and diverse). This movie was captivating and entertaining, and it made me wonder what would happen to the protagonist. According to experts, this movie did an accurate ethnographic depiction of the cholombianos, which is something to applaud. I really liked the fact that the story felt 100 % real, it didn't focus the lens on the violence or on romanticising the struggles of the protagonist. So don't expect a fast-paced/ultra violent narcos-style movie. Without being a documentary I feel I learned a lot about this urban tribe, their values like loyalty, and their amazing dance, you won't regret it!

Coming from a very similar background I found this movie painful yet beautifullly accurate. It's a faithful representation of the reality that people from troubled neighborhoods like that one have had and still have to live thanks to the organized crime. It makes a wonderful job portraying how heartbreaking it can be to be away from home, feeling alone and powerless, as well as the deep nostalgia of the good old days that won't ever come back.

If you are going to give it a shot, please try to put yourself in the position of those people who don't know better and who also have not very many options of having a better life.

This film is one of the best in modern Mexican cinema; the plot is good and the acting is decent; portrays the harsh reality that exists in Monterrey; highly recommended.

Just happened to come across this on Netflix & what caught my eye was the dancing. As an independent filmmaker, I liked how this was put together. Good film!