499

2020
1h 27m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

178

YOUR RATING

To reflect on the 500-year anniversary of the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 2021, director Rodrigo Reyes offers a bold hybrid cinema experience exploring the brutal legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico. Through the eyes of a ghostly conquistador, the film recreates Hernán Cortes's epic journey from the coasts of Veracruz to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, the site of contemporary Mexico City. As the anachronistic fictional character interacts with real-life victims of Mexico's failed drug wars, the filmmaker portrays the country's current humanitarian crisis as part of a vicious and unfinished colonial project, still in motion, nearly five hundred years later.

Provocative, unique, and strikingly cinematic, 499 mixes non-fictional and performative elements with elements of the road movie to show how past traumas continue to affect contemporary reality. While linking these seemingly disparate histories of violence, the film confirms Reyes as one of the most potent voices in American independent cinema.

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Documentary Drama History

Upon the 500-year anniversary of the Spanish Conquest, a ghostly Conquistador arrives in modern Mexico. As he journeys toward the capital city, he remembers events from his past while encoun... Read allUpon the 500-year anniversary of the Spanish Conquest, a ghostly Conquistador arrives in modern Mexico. As he journeys toward the capital city, he remembers events from his past while encountering the testimonies of real people, the survivors of contemporary violence. History and... Read allUpon the 500-year anniversary of the Spanish Conquest, a ghostly Conquistador arrives in modern Mexico. As he journeys toward the capital city, he remembers events from his past while encountering the testimonies of real people, the survivors of contemporary violence. History and the present begin to merge, giving nightmarish reflection on the enduring legacy of colon... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

178

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 5 wins & 6 nominations total

User reviews1

6.8178

Featured reviews

9TrueWouve

History repeats itself through the eyes of a Conquistador.

499 is a remarkably compelling look at violence in modern day Mexico. The film, which deals with very graphic and disturbing subject matter, is made accessible because it is narrated, in a way, through the eyes of a supernaturally returned Conquistador. This odd approach gives the film makers a culpable soul to bounce the grievances of the films' victims off. The segments of the film where our Conquistador retraces his original journey from the gulf coast inland are beautifully filmed. Each new region's changing topography is matched by a different aspect of modern violence. It's been 500 years since the arrival of Cortez but somethings we see haven't changed.