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A portrait of the lives and rituals of the native people of the Totonac village of Veracruz illustrates the rhythms of their pre-industrial and deeply spiritual lives.
An ethnography in the best sense of the word, Jose Álvarez’s film transports us to the Totonac village of Zapotal, Santa Cruz, providing a series of indelible moments: an awkward first dance, a lonely wash in a spring, and the daily toil of bowl makers…
Canícula brings us a different view of Mexican life from what we have learned on the news. The Totonac people in Santa Cruz offer a different narrative that is as timeless as the landscape that surrounds the village of Zapotal, where Álvarez brings his camera. They continue to live their traditions despite the encroachment of modern outside influences. The film weaves together their daily routines, focusing on the women creating skilled pottery and the awe-inspiring religious rites of the voladores, young men who suspend themselves upside down from a high pole “flying in the wind.” The imagery is bolstered by the marvelous soundtrack composed by Martin Delgado. Awarded first prize for best foreign production by the International Federation of Film Critics at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
