Violence surrounds a slain cartel gunman's son during each stage of his life in this compelling and visceral coming-of-age story. Winner of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize.
After a cartel gunman from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo, his beloved four-year-old son, is left an orphan and in danger. Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity. When he enters his teens, a rebelliousness awakens in him, and like a rite of passage, he joins the local cartel. As a young man, Sujo attempts to make his life anew, away from the violence of his hometown. However, when his father’s legacy catches up with him, he will come face-to-face with what seems to be his destiny. [125 min; drama; Spanish with English subtitles and open captions]
"A work of tremendous lyrical potency, even more intricate in meaning and scope than the pair’s earlier stunner, Sujo thunderously demonstrates why Valdez and Rondero stand among those soon to be regarded as the new masters of Mexican cinema." — Carlos Aguilar, IndieWire
"Realism and lyricism mix together effectively in this intimate portrait of violence and generational trauma in Mexico." — Rene Sanchez, Cine Sin Fronteras
"Though it sometimes evokes some gangster classics, the Mexican drama Sujo is most moving in its quiet passages—showing a boy getting an improbable second chance to break out of a family cycle of violence and death." — Sean P. Means, The Movie Cricket
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