¡Que viva México! provides an unexpected point of view of Mexico from Russia. I think the film sincerely attempts to provide a picture of a “true” Mexico. What I found interesting is what they show and what they don’t show. The movie starts off by showing a landscape of Mexico, and then goes into the people and the revolution. What I find is interesting, especially compared to the other movies we’ve watched so far, is the lack of the representation of the city as a space. Mexico city was and still is a rapidly growing urban centre. Mexico was represented as an almost barren land. I’m not sure how much I liked the lack of a clear plot. It was pretty hard to really get to know or develop the characters. This could stem from the film’s attempt to display Mexico as a whole collective rather than exploring the individual, which could be influenced from the film’s communist roots.
I liked the authentic feel of the film but I’m not sure if the lack of dialog/plot worked for me.
