Picture: Netflix
Based on the influential 1955 novel by Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo is the collaboration between acclaimed cinematographer turned director Rodrigo Prieto (Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie) & accomplished screenwriter Mateo Gil (Open Your Eyes, The Sea Inside). The film marks the directorial debut for Prieto after being nominated 4 times at the Oscars for Best Achievement in Cinematography.
Set in the Mexican town of Comala, the story centers around (for a time) Juan Preciado (Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta), who promised his mother on her deathbed that he would travel to the town to meet his biological father Pedro Páramo (The Lincoln Lawyer star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) for the first time. Upon his arrival, Juan slowly realizes that he may have come upon a literal ghost town filled with spectral characters whose lives have been affected in some form or another by the lover, overland, & murderer that is Pedro Páramo.
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Netflix and the film’s creators may have had aspirations for Awards Season contention in 2024. However, from my perspective, the dizzying and awkwardly structured Pedro Páramo seems destined to be more divisive and potentially confounding to the average viewer.
With a central titular figure simultaneously filled with romantic longing, bitter revenge, and poor moral coding, it’s tough to wrap your arms around this character or the story in general. Instead, the film feels like a drawn-out dark fable about a man who was never satisfied, never given what he truly wanted, and made an entire town feel his unsettled wrath until his life—and the town, by extension—faded into dust.
Prieto’s vision and Gil’s construction never gives in to feeling sympathy or empathy for Páramo, but feels more for the people in his wake who contort & corrupt their souls as they’re largely powerless to stop him. With this in mind, the film feels like it’s just telling a campfire tale to its audience, especially after the one person who seeks out the story in Juan fades to the background less than halfway through.
Pedro Páramo. (L to R) Roberto Sosa as Rentería, Manuel García Rulfo as Pedro Páramo in Pedro Páramo. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix / ©2024
The presence of ghostly characters serves less as a fright and more as a tour guide with firsthand insight into the life and trials of Páramo himself. Unlike more recent cinematic versions of magical realism, these characters don’t have much in the way of commentary or having an influence on the outcome of the story; instead, they are more presenters with an occasional anecdote that colors the proceedings.
If you are looking for a strong takeaway from this story, I struggle to find one. Does this mean it’s not well shot by a master cinematographer? No. Does it mean it’s ineffective as a visual story? Not exactly. But it does feel at times listless and meaningless which may turn off a general audience who may not be fans of the novel or not have a cultural tie to the source material or a town like the fictionalized Comala.
Audiences may have also sought out the film’s two biggest-name actors in Tenoch Huerta & Manuel Garcia-Rulfo for which they will not be disappointed. The main casting is a strength for the film as they give some weight to a story that seems to just amble along for long stretches. Garcia-Rulfo gives such presence and emotion in just a simple stare. He seems to pull all of the needs and desires of a scene right into his face.
However, Pedro Páramo, as a film, cannot hold up to the thought of Páramo to his fellow townsfolk and narrators. While he may be a heliocentric cancer upon his fellow man, the film never feels as dominated by his presence or haunted by the oppressed as his reputation and crimes would suggest. Solid casting & cinematography make up for a less stylish and less intense story. Prieto shows flashes of what makes a worthwhile director, but I hope he finds a more worthy script to pair with his talents.
Watch Pedro Paramo If You Liked:
- The Old Ways
- The Devil’s Backbone
- Midnight in Paris
MVP of Pedro Páramo
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Pedro Páramo
While the story itself may lack flair or gravitas, it’s tough to say that about Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s interpretation of the titular Pedro Páramo.
Every time Garcia-Rulfo is placed at the center of the frame, the film feels more captivating with his piercing eyes and stares filled with longing & anguish. He vacillates easily between cold & calculating moves of revenge to painful hopelessness in his late life.
With his breakout role in The Lincoln Lawyer and his blockbuster future in Jurassic World Rebirth, it seems the industry is finally giving Garcia-Rulfo the success that is worthy of his talent.
Prieto feels content presenting an almost straight story largely about corruption of the soul & despair, but offers far less in style & emotional depth to resonate beyond the viewing.
