Mexico 86

A Guatemalan rebel activist experiences the difficulties of combining motherhood with the fight against the military dictatorship, in this intimate thriller.

The year is 1978. Maria, portrayed by Bérénice Béjo (The Artist), is a Guatemalan rebel activist who is separated from the love of her life when he is murdered by soldiers. Because of death threats, she has to flee to the neighbouring country of Mexico, while her infant son is left behind in the care of Maria’s mother. 

Ten years later, Maria lives in exile under the alias Julia. She works with proofreading for a newapaer and keeps her radical positions hidden, but keeps working with undermining the Guatemalan military dictatorship from the shadows. Maria and Marco are re-united when the boy’s grandmother becomes too sick to care for him anymore, and Maria quickly realizes that balancing the parental role with activism is impossible. She has to make the difficult choice between motherhood and her political cause.

Mexico 86 is inspired by director César Díaz’ upbringing in war-stricken Guatemala. The film had its world premiere in August at Locarno Film Festival’s Piazza Grande.

Amalie Tilset

Director

César Díaz (b. 1978) is a Belgian-Guetamalan director and screenwriter. He studied screenwriting at the Parisian film school, Le Fémis, and has since the 2000s worked on numerous documentaries. In 2019 he made his first feature-length film, Our Mothers, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Camera d’Or. Mexico 86 is his second feature film.