- Starring
- Tenoch Huerta Mejía. Alexia Rasmussen, Lázaro Gabino
- Writer
- Alexis Gambis
- Director
- Alexis Gambis
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 97 minutes
- Release Date
- n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
We have reached the feel good part of the festival. Son of Monarchs is a film that will surely mean different things for different people and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. For as long as there have been films, there have been films about characters reconnecting with their roots and this one was no different. Ultimately, these films succeed or fail based on the viewers’ ability to connect with the main character or characters over the course of their respective journeys. As far as this film was concerned, this was certainly the case as it delivers a solid emotional journey over the course of its short running time but it could only go so far in trying to squeeze in so much within that limited time, going for the highest emotional impact. While it doesn’t all work, a powerful lead performance does an admirable job at bringing viewers on that journey.
Son of Monarchs follows a Mexican biologist living in New York named Mendel (Huerta) who must return to his hometown, nestled in the majestic butterfly forests of Michoacán, following the death of his grandmother. There, he was confronted with his traumatic past while he also faced an identity crisis of sorts as he was stuck between his new life and his old one. The butterfly symbolism, specifically monarchs, is pretty self-explanatory as they held a strong significance to his hometown and Mendel’s evolution over the course of the film followed that of a monarch. However, the trauma of Mendel’s past and its connection to his identity crisis in the present didn’t quite work as the former lacked enough development to sell the latter therefore lessened its emotional impact. Nevertheless, Huerta’s powerful performance as Mendel definitely brought plenty of emotion as a tortured man just wanting to belong.
In the end, Son of Monarchs is a powerful immigrant drama that is sure to hit the right spot.
still courtesy of Sundance
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
