''Güeros'' is a 2014 Mexican

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film written and directed by

Alonso Ruizpalacios Alonso Ruizpalacios (; born 1978) is a Mexican film director. Best known for directing the feature films '' Güeros'' (2014), ''Museum'' (2018), '' A Cop Movie'' (2021) and '' La cocina'' (2024). Biography Ruizpalacios was born and raised in M ...

. Set in Mexico City in 1999, the film tells the story of three restless teenagers searching for a folk-rocker during the Mexican capital's

student strike Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academi ...

. The film won five

Ariel Award The Ariel Award () is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas, Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award reco ...

s, including

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

in 2015.

Plot

In 1999, Tomás, a teenager from Veracruz, is sent to live with his brother Sombra in Mexico City after an incident with water balloons. Sombra lives with Santos, a fellow student, because of the CGH strike. They spend their time in their apartment in Copilco doing nothing, without money and with little food, they drink alcohol, smoke tobacco and steal electricity from the neighbor downstairs. They learn that their father's musical idol, Epigmenio Cruz, who according to legend "once made Bob Dylan cry" is in a hospital on the verge of death. The brothers and Santos embark on a journey to get Epigmenio to sign a cassette that once belonged to their father. During this trip, and out of curiosity of the brother, they enter the occupied facilities of Ciudad Universitaria, and there they meet Ana, a university leader, who shows them the life of the student strike and joins the trip after listening to Epigmenio's unusual music. The group attends a private party for students of the National School of Cinematographic Arts, who live in their bubble isolated from the world. At the Chapultepec Zoo, the group meets Isabel, Epigmenio's ex-partner, who tells them a story of a bisexual threesome between her, Epigmenio, and another musician during the Avándaro Festival. They finally find Epigmenio in a bar in Texcoco, who has become a hermit who rejects the group. Sombra gives him a speech about the importance of his music for him, his brother, and his family. At the end of the speech, Tomas discovers that Epigmenio has fallen asleep. During the return trip, Sombra and Ana confess their feelings to each other in a silent scene. The group finds themselves in the middle of a massive CGH demonstration. Ana joins the demonstration and Sombra follows her. Tomas takes a photo of his brother while he smiles at the camera.

Reception

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 7.54/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A striking effort that synthesizes disparate influences with inventive flair, ''Güeros'' marks a bold step forward for modern Mexican cinema."

Cast

Tenoch Huerta Mejía José Tenoch Huerta Mejía (; born January 29, 1981) is a Mexican actor. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and Spain, starring in both feature films, short films, and '' Narcos: Mexico'', credited as Tenoch Huerta. He is f ...

- Sombra * Sebastián Aguirre - Tomás *

Ilse Salas Ilse Salas (born 26 August 1981) is a Mexican actress. She appeared in more than fifteen films since 2010. For her lead role in the films '' Güeros'' and '' The Good Girls'' Salas received two nominations for the Ariel Award for Best Actress ...

- Ana * Leonardo Ortizgris - Santos

Awards and nominations

Ariel Awards

The

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Tenoch Huerta José Tenoch Huerta Mejía (; born January 29, 1981) is a Mexican actor. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and Spain, starring in both feature films, short films, and '' Narcos: Mexico'', credited as Tenoch Huerta. He is f ...

, scope="row", Best Actor , , - , scope="row", Sebastián Aguirre , rowspan="1" scope="row", Breakthrough Male Performance , , - , scope="row", Tomás Barreiro , scope="row", Best Score , , - , scope="row", Isabel Muñoz, Pedro González, Gabriel Teyna, and Kyoshi Osawa , rowspan="1" scope="row", Best Sound , , - , scope="row", Yibrán Asuad and Ana García , rowspan="1" scope="row", Best Film Editing , , - , scope="row", Sandra Cabriada , rowspan="1" scope="row", Best Art Direction , , - , scope="row", Damián García , rowspan="1" scope="row", Best Cinematography , , -

Other Awards

* Tribeca Film Festival, Best Cinematography * Internationale Berliner Filmfestspiele, Best First Feature Film * AFI, Special Jury Mention for Screenwriting

Plot

Reception

Cast

Awards and nominations

Ariel Awards

Other Awards

References

External links

Further reading