Cine Las Americas: ACORAZADO

In the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, Silverio (Silverio Palacios) spends his time writing politically charged speeches and delivering them in city buses. He hangs out with his fellow harbor workers, who continue their Union struggle against the privatization of the port that left them all unemployed; and with his friend La Manuela (Terry Holiday), a transsexual who deals pirated CDs.

ACORAZADO, which translates to English as “Battleship,” pays homage to low budget Mexican comedies of the '60s and '70s, yet offers a contemporary twist on the politics and consequences of migration. By any means, this is not another film about Mexican migrants coming to the United States, but a sardonic view on the political theater that influences the lives of millions of people and the real reasons why some people end up deciding to seek a better life in another country.

By situating the film in the port of Veracruz, writer-director Álvaro Curiel is able to land his characters in a realistic environment (that of the unemployed members of the harbor union who for decades were kings of the port, until the Mexican government privatized it in the early 90s), and portraits the idiosyncrasies of the region to great comical effect.

Right when it seems like ACORAZADO is going to be a straight forward story of a Mexican migrant heading north, a twist in the story opens vast possibilities for political and social commentary, and ACORAZADO exposes the virtues and flaws not only of its characters, but of the ideologies that define entire countries and regions, all in the company of a great soundtrack that keeps the pace flowing along with the laughs.

Tickets are $10 for General Admission / $8 for Members. Go HERE for more information.