MIFF NOTES: Soy Nero (2016, Dir. Rafi Pitts)

I expected a lot from Rafi Pitts' Soy Nero, primarily because of the participation of Child's Pose screenwriter, Razvan Radulescu. He didn't deliver. Actually, the screenplay is one of the film's weakest aspects.

The film, which ostensibly deals with the treatment of "illegal" Mexican immigrants in the U.S. (specifically the deportation of Green Card soldiers, who sign up to the army in order to secure their status in the country), splits its narrative into two discrete parts. The two sections work in direct parallel, both covering the xenophobia inherent in the system and the futility of trying to exist within a society that refuses to recognise your right to belong to it.

The film's point, though powerful, is neutered by its structural forcefulness and its inability to flesh out the characters to hand. Only the titular Nero (played by Johnny Ortiz) gets any real attention from Pitts and Radulescu, the surrounding characters merely act as fodder for Soy Nero's abundant imagery: Pitts and Radulescu's thematics and Christos Karamanis' visuals (he also shot this fest's Chevalier and Suntan) - a beach volleyball match over the U.S./Mexico border fence is a standout on both fronts.

Ultimately, the film's set-up is too blunt a tool to do its cause real justice. The Green Card soldier thing only gets a few passing mentions, and it is predominantly in an environment that itself doesn't convince (the war scenes feel very thin). So, not the most effective piece of consciousness raising cinema. It gets the message out but will leave further exploration in the hands of the audience.

★★☆

Trailer:

Soy Nero screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2016.

You can check out other films from the festival here.