Chosen to represent Mexico in the 2025 Academy Awards Best International Feature category, Sujo is a coming-of-age film telling the journey of the son of a cartel gunman trying to find his identity after his father’s passing.
Sujo had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Award. The film was also screened at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival, the 68th BFI London Film Festival, and the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival where it won the COOPERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA AWARD.
Release Date
Directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, Sujo opens in select US theaters on December 6, 2024.
Synopsis
After a cartel gunman (Juan Jesús Varela) from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo, his beloved four-year-old son (Kevin Aguilar), is left an orphan and in danger. Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt (Yadira Pérez) who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity. When he enters his teens (Juan Jesús Varela), 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.
Reviews
Carlos Aguilar in an IndieWire review gave the film a score of A, writing, “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.”
Peter Debruge in a Variety review also praised the film, writing, “Narratively speaking, the story is most exciting when the risks to Sujo are greatest. But the moments that stick with you in the days and weeks afterward are the quiet ones.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Sujo.
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