Backyard
Backyard: El traspatio
2009 · Mexico · 118 min
- Director
- Carlos Carrera
- Screenplay
- Sabina Berman Goldberg
- Producer
- Sabina Berman Goldberg, Epigmenio Ibarra
- Editing
- Óscar Figueroa Jara
- Production company
- Argos Comunicación
Awards: Ariel Award for Best Actress; Anexo:Premio Ariel a mejor fotografía; Ariel Award for Best Direction · 1 nominations
Cast
What it is about
Officer Blanca Bravo arrives in Ciudad Juárez, on the Mexico-US border, to investigate a run of killings of women. Her methodical inquiry runs up against a community where few want to confront what is happening around them. Alongside her, we follow Juanita Sánchez, a 17-year-old from Chiapas who takes a job in the maquiladoras and, within a few months, begins to assert her independence. The lives of the two women eventually converge, through chance and the pressures of the city.
How it was made
Directed by Carlos Carrera, the film was written by playwright Sabina Berman, who produced it with Epigmenio Ibarra through Argos Media Group. It deals with the murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, in the state of Chihuahua. Ana de la Reguera leads the cast with Asur Zagada, Iván Cortés, Joaquín Cosío and Jimmy Smits, who plays a businessman quite different from the two protagonists. Óscar Figueroa edited the film, and the cinematography by Martín Boege and Everardo González was later recognised at the Ariel Awards. The drama has a realist tone and was shot in the border setting it portrays.
Reception and legacy
The film was released on 20 February 2009. The Mexican Academy of Film presented it as Mexico's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. At the 52nd Ariel Awards it earned eight nominations and won prizes for Best Actress, Best Direction and Best Cinematography. In the United States, Ana de la Reguera received a Premios Imagen award for best actress, and Sabina Berman won best screenplay awards at the Havana and Catalonia festivals.
Stills
Trailer
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More films by Carlos Carrera
The Crime of Father Amaro
Benjamín's Wife
A Magic Spell
Sex, Love and Other PerversionsOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.