Identifying Features – A Moving Piece of Cinema

A new Spanish language film from earlier this year, Identifying Features takes viewers on a journey through rural Mexico where the landscape is as beautiful as it is dangerous. For viewers who don’t need A-list actors and special effects in order to enjoy a film for those who can get into smaller and low-budget films boasting great stories to tell and other fascinating Features, Identify this wonderful and moving piece of cinema which also happens to be one of the finest films to come out this year.

Identifying Features tells the tale of a young man named Jesús (Juan Varela) who sets off from rural Mexico with his friend for the American border in the hopes of a better life. Soon after, Jesús’ mother Magdalena (Mercedes Hernández) and his friend’s mom found themselves in a police station inquiring about their missing sons for whom they haven’t heard from. Without signs of her boy, Magdalena embarks on a fool’s errand to see if there’s any chance her son is still alive. The emotional weight of the film carries hangs so heavy, it’s almost suffocating in it’s portrayal of the hopelessness of this poor woman’s situation. While the story is definitely gripping, it also takes its time, playing as a slow burn building up to a climactic ending.

With a running time of just over 90 minutes, Identifying Features moves at a very methodical pace which may lead to some viewers losing interest as they are treated to contemplative sequences of great cinematography highlighting the desert terrain of northern Mexico. Nevertheless, the threat of death hangs over the film like a thick, gray mist on a cold, fall morning. Despite its the film being in a different language, in this case Spanish, hopefully it will not deter viewers from getting a glimpse into the troubled lives of people that live not so far away from the rest of us. The work from the few actors of its cast is truly something special. It will likely be easy for viewers to get lost in this world with these unfamiliar faces at the helm, delivering some terrific performances, even though they are fairly subdued for the most part.

still courtesy of Kino Lorber

(original review)

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Russell Miller

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