This close look at the eponymous López Street in Mexico City’s Centro Histórico zeroes in on its street corners and the people that work there. Focusing on a 100-meter radius with an ethnographic eye, the drama of life of the street makes for pure cinema.
With a patient, 9-minute opening shot Malaventura starts as it means to continue: this slice-of-life, minimalist drama situates its protagonist in their everyday urban environment and asks us not to look away. An excellent debut from Michel Lipkes, an impressively sobering, existential experience.
What do we really know about the lives of those behind the wheel? Bulmaro Osornio’s film introduces us to El Mosca, a widowed taxi driver in Mexico City who must now take care of his two daughters. A heart-warming glimpse at a life filled with nostalgia and grief in a city that is also hurting.