The Zone (2007) User Reviews (23)

Life in a Third World Big City

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 3 August 2008]

In Mexico City, a wealthy compound is surrounded by walls and surveillance system to protect the locals against the violence of the slums. During a stormy night, a billboard falls over the wall and three smalltime thieves cross the border through the breach to rob. They break into a house and kill an old lady; the residents organize militias to chase the delinquents. Two of them and one security guard are murdered by the vigilantes, but the sixteen year old Miguel (Alan Chávez) hides in the basement of the teenager Alejandro (Daniel Tovar). When Alejandro finds Miguel, he feeds and helps the boy, but it is impossible to escape from the Zone.

"La Zone" reflects the life in a Third World big city, where the afraid middle-class lives in houses, compounds and buildings surrounded and under siege of slums and protected by walls, fences and gates. Further, it shows the corruption in the police, where the work of an honest policeman is affected by the general corruption. This drama unravels how dangerous might be the principle of an eye for en eye and when common people becomes vigilantes. The performances are very realistic, giving a total credibility to the plot. The DVD released by the Brazilian distributor Dreamland Filmes has a problem and for accessing the last chapter, the viewer needs to go to "Scene Selection" in the Menu, otherwise the DVD stops. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Zona do Crime" ("Zone of the Crime")

Thrilling Narrative, Powerful Critique

[lmontijo · 8/10 · 4 May 2008]

OK. So I just saw La Zona @ SFIFF, and I must say... BRAVO!! Another big success for Mexican cinema, and well earned indeed. Rodrigo Pla's first feature delivers a harsh social and political critique about Mexican social classes and fundamental morality within a gripping and thrilling narrative.

As another Mexican film about social contrasts, I must say, it proves originality. La Zona (or The Zone) delves further into character development and the consequences of moral judgment. Pla's film remains interesting because it touches upon a broader universal theme: the human struggle to choose between right and wrong. With an engaging narrative, inventive setting and well developed character arcs, La Zona gets its point across, and makes us think…

This film delivers recurring themes in Mexican cinema but with a much fresher and more creative perspective, not to mention exciting…

Much 'props' to Villanueva's enthralling cinematography and to Zaragoza's performance as the chief of police…

8 out of 10. I really liked it.

Very good premise, nice execution

[vostf · 7/10 · 2 April 2008]

The premise is very good, all the more so as it describes a situation becoming more and more explosive of our days. Certainly we'll see more movies of the kind in the years to come.

Personally I think that the POV of poor teens trapped into La Zona would have been more interesting, at least from a suspense and action point of view. Following a rich teen dislocates such suspense, plus it means you have to take an interest in a kid who's not the subject of the movie. On the other hand the focus on the private militia of citizens is interesting, yet I'm still a bit unsatisfied.

So, the movie is pretty good, it is a nicely rounded up excellent premise but it could have been much better. As such you don't get out of the theater moved. Emotion, as suspense, is too much diluted into a narration that changes angles too often instead of building up the tension with a limited number of protagonists tied together.

separation wall

[dromasca · 6/10 · 27 December 2011]

In a world subjected more and more to violence, with the established societies not able to provide appropriate answers to social and political conflicts, ordinary people try to protect their normality by building walls. Tall, barbed wired walls, with armed guards behind which the apparently normal life – with children playing games and going to school and adults indulging into the pleasures of comfortable routine – can continue. To what extent are these walls efficient may be measured by statistics that show if crime or violence are lowered by building them. There is another factor and effect however that is harder to measure – what is the psychological impact upon the ones who are supposed to be protected by these walls? To what extent are the people protected by the walls really free? What is their relation to the world outside – morally? legally? Can normality of life be really protected by walls?

Those generic questions get some answers in the Mexican director Rodrigo Pla's first film, applauded by critics and the jury of the Film Festival in Venice, a story about a well-doing urban community in Mexico who build a wall around their district and protect themselves in a vigilante manner. A state within another state unable to protect its privileged citizens. When intruders almost accidentally break into the protected area, the inevitable happens, and the members of the community are faced with the dilemma of continuing to protect their way of life at the cost of covering the killings of the not-so-innocent intruders and chasing the sole teenage survivor of the incident.

Pla's efficient film making and good acting keep the interest awake for the whole duration of this film, despite the rather expected story line and the conventional characters. It is however the questions that can be asked beyond the immediate details of the story that provide value, questions about the balance between the need for normality and the price to pay in order to earn it, about the rights of all members of society not only to a quite life but also to basic living conditions and equal chances, about the moment when the power of law is superseded by the laws of power. The story may happen in Mexico but it is true and actual for many other places in the world.

Third world class struggle police thriller

[rasecz · 7/10 · 6 April 2008]

In any large city of Latin America or the rest of the third world, wealth and poverty coexist side by side, not uncommonly separated by just a thin high wall. In typical fashion the rich appropriate the bulk of the country's wealth, a few of the poor reclaim a tiny portion back through robbery and muggings, and the rich react in turn by protecting themselves and even striking back. It's low intensity class warfare.

La Zona is an enclave, a walled-city with massive iron gates, widely scattered security cameras and around-the-clock monitoring. It's the modern equivalent of the medieval castle. Laying siege is a slum, where live the nemeses of the inhabitants of La Zona. They have come to this enclave out of fear, for protection against further assaults, to enjoy the good life in a secure haven. Many are angry. Some have been victims. Some are vengeful.

The story begins when, during a storm, the wall is breached and electrical power is lost. A threesome from the slum takes advantage to penetrate the enclave and steal a few things. The temporary invasion does not go well. Shots are exchanged. People die. That event sets the wheels of the thriller in motion.

The typical characters are present. The honest police investigator whose work is subverted by a corrupt police department. The good bad-guy, the bad bad-guy, the good good-guy and the bad good-guy. They are all there, some in multiple copies. It's formulaic, but effective.

Decent Mexican/Spanish coproduction about an exclusive gated community whose residents chase invaders

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 June 2018]

Thrilling and thoughtful film dealing with a rich compound besieged by walls and security electric system to guard the inhabitants agains the violent exterior characterized by poorness , chaos and misery . Set in Mexico D.F. , when a billboard falls on the wall it creates a breach in which three tiny delinquents enter into the enclosed neighborhood .But it results to be a location that is impossible to getaway and they find caught-up in the wrong place and the wrong time ; then things go awry for the three unfortunate crooks . The residents turned Vigilantes to be aware the enemy invasion and relentlessly pursue the small time thieves .

A stirring and violent film that delves the real confrontation between social classes shocked by crimes and misdemeanors: The upper class and the lower class , as well as the police corruption and many other things . It shows the dark atmosphere of paranoia , tyranny , and mass hysteria of the wealthy people surrounded by strict surveillance system to protect against the poor slums and even organizing militias , acting as judges , juries and executioners . There are good acting by a decent cast , such as Daniel Gimenez Cacho as a council member who takes law on his own hands , Maribel Verdu as a mother who attempts help and guard his son , Carlos Bardem as a violen neighbour , as well as the veteran Blanca Guerra . Special mention for the newcomer duo teen : Chavez as the escaped boy hiding within the neighborhood's borders , at a basement , and Daniel Tovar as Alejandro , the good teen who brings him food and a pair of trainers and he tapes his story on his videocamara .

It contains an atmospheric and adequate cinematography by Emilio Villanueva . And an evocative and intriguing musical score by Fernando Velazquez who has composed a lot of successful soundtracks with such international hits as The impossible, A monster calls , The orphanage, Crimson Peak , Gernika and The invisible guardian .Compellingly produced by Mexican/Spanish prducers as Alvaro Longoria , Pilar Benito , Rafel Cuervo , Ricardo Fernandez and Rodrigo Pla himself .The motion picture was well written, produced and directed by Rodrigo Pla. He is a fine craftsman who has directed nice shorts and full feature films as Desierto Adentro , A monster with a thousand heads and La demora .

Hitchcock with a Conscience

[corrosion-2 · 9/10 · 17 October 2007]

La Zona is one of those rare films which grips you from the start and doesn't let go till the end credits roll up. It is also a rare example of a thriller and social drama which delivers on both fronts.

La Zona are residential compounds in Mexico for the rich and the affluent. They have their own security system and guards and even law, thus separating them from the normal law of the land. These "zones" are real and do exist in Mexico city. The one depicted in the film is separated from the slum neighbourhood by large concrete walls and barbed wire. An accident causes one of the power pylons next to the Zone to collapse thus paving an entry for three young petty thieves from the slums to enter the Zone to make a quick burglary. Things go wrong, however, and two of the boys are shot dead while the third manages to escape from the burgled house but not from the zone.

We then follow the search for the boy, by the residents (who intend to kill him) and the cops, who are mostly corrupt ready to turn a blind eye for the right sum. The Zone is a superbly tense thriller and a damning indictment of the social system in Mexico. The residents in these zones appear to be totally cut off from the reality outside; a nice contrast is a golf course inside the Zone from which the players get a panoramic view of the slums.

It is hard to believe that this is the feature debut of its director Rodrigo Pla. It's one of the most accomplished feature debuts that I have ever seen and you can be certain that Rodrigo Pla's name is going to be much better known in the coming years.

terrifying

[DansLeNoir · 28 September 2018]

I really like. It's really one of the most ambitious films I've seen this year. The final scenes were so beautiful. The characters had clichés, but the others were more prominent. It was a very different thriller. It was one of those rare films that even a criminal could be innocent of and could be on his side. The insides exposed a painful world. It's an impressive and beautiful film. I definitely recommend it.

Mexiwood more or less

[Nagi4 · 6/10 · 17 September 2009]

La Zona for me looks like a Hollywood film. That is not of course a bad thing, but after hearing about this film, I was expecting a more original look. Now it felt like any other drama coming from L.A. Even though this one was done in Mexico.

For me a lot of the acting was overdone and very theatrical. There were a lot of scenes that were touching and felt real, but there was a kind of unreal feeling through out the film.

It was however very well made. The cinematic style and compositions were well thought.

For me the film felt like a film, and I didn't believe in it. This caused me the lack of feeling and I didn't attach to the piece.

Hats off to the director

[crappydoo · 9/10 · 17 July 2008]

This one started out with a lot happening with too many characters doing their thing and it took me a while to really get a grasp of what was actually going on. I was a bit fidgety for the first 30 minutes or so. However once I realised what was going on, I sat transfixed.

The movie is not so much about the story , which is fairly simple about a heist gone wrong, and to a certain extent predictable . It is more of a comment on Mexican society and the class struggle. And since I myself come from a society not too different from the one depicted, I could completely relate with the happenings. Other than that, the film also covers issues like families struggling to keep together, the lack of communication, xenophobia, self-righteousness and the basic human instinct of violence, rage and revenge.

The direction is simply brilliant and it is equally matched with the acting by every single character. The only other film I can compare this to is the great Italian film, L'Aria Salata. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to watch it and I highly recommend it for all people seriously interested in cinema. It will leave you thinking for a long time afterwards. I would definitely watch it a second time.

interest-peaking, if scattered, social critique

[thejesus-4 · 6/10 · 18 June 2008]

Rodrigo Pla's debut is certainly stylistically sound, beautifully depicting the disparity between the eponymous zone and the surrounding area through security monitoring-style footage and beautiful shots of the well-manicured oasis-suburb. In fact, the set up--both the fist scene and the very concept--is perfect. A storm brings a billboard crashing down on a concrete wall, impairing the community's advanced surveillance systems, cutting the power, and allowing access to three opportunistic intruders.

And so the stage is set for a either a scathing critique of Mexico's apartheid-like class separation, an exciting thriller about a community's manhunt, or a psychodrama delving into witch-hunt dynamics. Unfortunately, the film never makes up its mind. It schizophrenically skips between these modes, never satisfying or examining them nearly enough. A large ensemble cast does well to intrigue us, but not enough to engage in any meaningful character study. The lead detective, for instance, is so ill-defined that he must dwell in the realm of stereotype, somewhat the renegade fighting against institutional corruption, somewhat the emotional, maverick loose cannon with a tendency toward violence. But we never find out much more about the guy.

And so when the film neatly tidies itself up at the 90 minute mark with a Spike Lee-like incitation, an act of violence that is meant to shock and draw sympathy, it hardly delivers the punch it should. Because like the community La Zona follows, there is a decided lack of humanity in the storytelling.

Social apartheid

[stensson · 8/10 · 26 July 2008]

This is about the Mexican big city, there rich people have created a zone behind walls. They keep the world out, but they are also kept out. Three young thieves enter and the hunt begins. The rich just don't want to defend their privileges. They want to kill for them.

But few of them are monsters. And what could have been an after all rather conventional social thriller, is more than that. The plot turns many times and everything isn't what it seems.

A strong movie about a class hatred which is becoming a dangerous threat to our kind of societies. It's a warning to us, not just to the rich.

Interesting story concept with so-so execution.

[sharkies69 · 6/10 · 30 November 2008]

Saw La Zona last night as part of the Hola Mexico film festival.

Whilst I found the film reasonably entertaining I was ultimately left disappointed. Considering it was a feature film, I felt like I was watching something that was made for television.

The actors do their best but ultimately the script is lacking and there is a real by-the-numbers feel to this.

The characters are not fleshed out and the film lacks genuine tension which is a shame as the premise is a good one. There were lots of potential angles and ideas that were not explored.

Some of the techniques used though worked well. Particularly the opening scene of the neighborhood houses in the reflection of the cars window which appears again later in the film. The security cameras in place around the zone also worked well.

Daddy's Home

[EdgarST · 4/10 · 20 February 2015]

At the risk of being wrong, I would say that production in the world film industry is mostly run by the high and medium social strata, with little creative input from the lower class. The middle and high class filmmakers may "starve" (for lack of material means to produce, not food) while they make their way, but once they enter the industry –as image makers for advertisement, television, film or new media- they frequently adopt a too comfortable vision of existence. This approach prevails when they deal with delicate social subjects, as the one Rodrigo Pla tackles in "La Zona", which has the certain value of being one of few films describing the potential violent relations between persons who live walled in exclusive and closed residential complexes, and people who live outside in marginal communities that surround the gated crowd, as in this case. Three poor guys cross the wall of La Zona to steal. Two die, one hides in a family house. Next a "Zonian" teenager finds the one hiding inside his house. For me, the merits of this film end here. Although Pla describes the fascistic tendencies of civil defense and police force, flirts with hyper-violence and adds a gram of science-fiction, this humorless film (and the situation was open to it and much more) opts for a melodrama formula, a tale of the "bad consciousness" type, and in the third act it never recovers. I do not know if the uncontrolled sappiness is a cultural trait of Mexicans, but as used by the filmmakers it has been the cause of much imbalance in many motion pictures, from the works of El Indio Fernández ("María Candelaria") to Iñárritu ("Amores perros"). From the moment the walled teenager's heart softens and he tries to become the savior of the young thief, "La Zona" follows the usual path of melodrama, with servile score that overemphasizes what is obvious. The cardboard characters grow stiffer, Daniel Giménez Cacho handles one of the most embarrassing scenes, in front of a TV set (Maribel Verdú is thankfully in the background and out of focus) and the ironic final shot of the ex-walled and temporarily liberated teenager eating tacos in the corner of a popular barrio, functions as a little scolding to the middle class adults who protect their small privileges to provide a gift (or borrowed) life to kids as the taco-eater, but above anything else as a wimpish validation of the kid's "courage" who, when the lights of the cine go up, will return in his comfortable 4X4 to pa's home in La Zona. And from there… we go back to the first shots of a little (symbolic?) butterfly, flying beyond the wall… Watch it, but wear glasses.

You know, did you ever think of the Yacumo point of view? That we might be the savages?

[Rodrigo_Amaro · 10/10 · 13 May 2010]

This review's title is a memorable quote delivered by Professor Alan Monroe (played by Robert Kerman) in the notorious and infamous horror film "Cannibal Holocaust" about what happened to the filmmakers that disappeared in the jungle while filming a documentary about "Uncivilized" nations and their behavior. The similarity between "Cannibal Holocaust" and "La Zona" is that both films tell stories about the decadence of supposedly civilized societies and the way "civilized" people behave in situation of danger.

La Zona is an enclosed and wealth neighborhood in Mexico that has its peace disturbed after two events: a pole fell in one of the walls of the place leaving the whole neighborhood without electricity and without the surveillance cameras that films everything that occurs around it. When that pole fell down three thieves entered in the neighborhood and they tried to steal one of the houses, but they got caught by the owner, an old lady who threats them with a gun. One of the thieves attacked the lady and then the camera moves forward and we know that she was killed, a security guard was accidentally killed by one the residents and two of the thieves were murdered by the neighbors during the escape. One of the residents called the police after hearing a shot but a group of residents decide that the whole event was a mistake claiming that the shot was on the other side of the fence, an enormous and poor neighborhood.

Everything I mentioned here happened in the first 10 minutes of movie. The main plot of the film is the union of supposed civilized people against the thief that managed to escape but got trapped in the neighborhood. The residents decide that the police must not know what happened and they got to find the thief and kill him, and make justice with their own hands.

Alejandro (Daniel Tovar) is a teenage boy, son of one the leaders of the team that wants to catch the thief, and he's excited with everything that's happening and he also wants to catch this guy. One night he discovers that the thief is hidden in the basement of his house but he doesn't delivers him to the residents after he finds out that the thief is an innocent teenage boy just like him. Alejandro's reaction might surprise you but we had the chance to know that he's only trying to get more perspective on the subject. Why his father and the other residents wants to catch and kill the thief? Does that teen killed a woman?

Alejandro works as the audience's conscious, and so does his mother and some of the residents opponents to this hunt. But that doesn't mean he's a likable character, after all there's no such thing here in this movie. Just when you think you're starting to like some of the characters someone does something that you might dislike or hate it. One example of that thesis is the chief of police (Mario Zaragoza) that investigates what happened at La Zona. He's a tough guy surrounded by deep problems, his chief's always trying to keep away of the residents of La Zona claiming that they're influential people that don't like to be bothered. He knows that's something is wrong and he starts to investigate. He becomes a hateful character after many decisions he starts to made when his investigation is becoming a failure.

Director Rodrigo Plá made here a powerful and shocking statement over the "civilized" people and their so called acts of superiority towards the poor. When they want to make the chief of police go away the residents think that offer him money would help. Wrong. By making justice with their own hands and trying to act like a punisher in order to sustain security and peace in the neighborhood residents only make things worst even punishing the residents that were opposed to the thief's chase. Here it was proved that police won't help even if they want it, the security of the place won't help when people needed most (when the power went down and the pole fell on the wall no one appeared to see what happened and no one saw the thieves coming in). It also has a disguised critic of countries where common people can bear guns without knowing how to use it. For instance when one of the residents accidentally shot a security guard (this scene isn't showed in the movie). This a proof that educated people (the residents) can make worst things when they want to be equal as the poor thieves presented here. Who were the savages? Us or the thieves? I'm not defending the thieves, they did it bad things too, but when a solution is offered and you refuse it by acting like the ones who harmed you you're doing wrong too and you're doing worst and dangerously.

Thrilling, involving, thought provoking, "La Zona" is a movie to be debated not only because of this subject, but also because of the way it handled with the subject. I don't know if in Mexico it was considered an art film or a Blockbuster hit, but I know that if Hollywood wanted to make a remake it would be way different of what it is, with more action, more likable characters and certainly the ending would be different. I'll spoil the fun a little bit: the thief kid is caught by the residents (I won't say what happens to him, but it's something to be reminded over and over again for those who got different perspectives about what was said in this review). If this story has proximity with reality I really can't say, but it made me think about the place where I live. What would happen if something similar happened here? I can think of many answers but let's try to make this reality only present in the movies. 10/10

About DF?

[f-amigoni1 · 9/10 · 30 July 2008]

Every year there's a summer movie festival in the open court of an old palace in my town. I like going there, with some friends of mine or alone, to see films carefully chosen every time from the recent months new releases. The logic is: no blockbusters, high quality. I knew nothing about "La Zona". From the first minute, i was given the possibility to see the future directly in the eyes of Aldous Huxley or George Orwell, if they were here now. The birth of a brave new world, full of violence, where law is a word without meaning. Or with a lot of different meanings, that's the same. The plot is very simple,but brilliant. A perfect mechanism, with classical roles and fantastic acting. Destiny is in the air, like in Greek tragedy, and the best of all is that you can't identify yourself with one or the other easily. If you do that, you'll be someway guilty. Not to miss.

La Zona - Reviews

[gooseholes · 1 August 2009]

La Zona is a movie that kicks the middle class right in their butts. It is a movie that bluntly tells them what they actually are, as against, what they think they are - Rodrigo Pla, through this attempt, probes the very fundamental idea of "civility", often extolled by the bourgeoisie as one of their defining (sometimes distinct) quality.

Written by Laura Santullo and released in 2007, the movie talks about the degrading and twisted values in an industrialized Mexican society that is also marked by acute economic inequality. In her 'intelligent' script Laura underlines the fragility of social notions and values in times of stress.

A fear struck group of people - who are considered progressive, civil and developed as per the accepted societal standards and who also live inside the excluded gates of a suburban colony surrounded by shanties - suddenly resort to the meanest and most butcherly of acts when threatened. The movie gradually rides the viewer into a mood of alarm, where even a grotesque act of covering up dead bodies of two teenagers in municipal garbage tends to be seen as normal and chasing a 16 year old boy to his death is passed off as an act of self defense.

In a town, which fully characterizes the have/have-not divide in the post-modern society symbolized through its excluded gates, irenic living of its residents take precedence over morals and values.

This story can find resonance in every country and in India that resonance is alarmingly loud. How many times have we read about residents of housing colonies beating up a robber to death or parading a woman naked because her son snuggled up to an upper caste girl?? La Zona is about all that - a simple and straight story line that can make you feel extremely uncomfortable for what you actually are and to a great extend break the farce called civility that the country's middle class often harp about. This was Laura Santullo's first attempt as a writer and she gets my two thumbs up.

I give this a movie five star - must watch!

Underrated movie

[supermasenko · 10/10 · 22 August 2013]

La zona is a movie taking place in a gated community somewhere in Mexico. The story begins at night when a billboard crashes down at the wall of said community and three teenagers enter it in order to steal valuable things as the neighborhood is located right next to a very poor and desolated city.

The film shows how the population - who is not used to deal much with the world outside their walls - copes with the situation of three guys intruding their peaceful safe zone. The longer they are inside the more things get out of control. The story is both told from the view of the inhabitants and of the three burglars. It shows how a little disturbance of order and peace can bring out the worst in some people and lets them make unethical decisions. Another topic of this brilliant movie are police corruption (in Mexico), but I don't want to tell you too much.

What I personally want to stress is the great camera work which makes one feel very attached to the story and puts the viewer in the middle of the events taking place.

In conclusion it can be said that la zona is an outstanding piece of art and cinematography and it is a definite must-watch for anybody who is even remotely into movies.

Right kind of ambiance - empty characters

[madrasell-1 · 3/10 · 17 August 2008]

There is nothing wrong with the synopsis, the "gated community" - dilemma could be delivered with a twist like this, no doubt. But the problem is how it is executed.There is not one character here with any kind of depth whatsoever. Its all one-dimensional cardboard-pieces responding to some really incoherent twists of the plot.

The dialogue is embarrassingly bad sometimes and the actors fight to get some kind of guidance in their performances. The story kind of wants to be both drama and suspense-thriller but fails on both parts.Not that a drama cant be in the vein of a thriller and vice versa. (Check out Buenos Aires 1977 for some chilling thrills and high drama.)

The stage is great though. The scenes of the clean cut streets clashing with the outside slums is alone thought-provoking. And the watchful eye of the surveillance-camera is perhaps tiresome by now but never the less effective here. But thats hardly a reason to spend time and money on this shoddy piece.

It had potential...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 28 December 2015]

The first hour of the movie was adequate entertainment, but then the chain snapped somewhere and the movie just went astray, and I was finding my attention starting to slip away.

There were some interesting aspects to the story, for sure. The obvious one being a walled-in rich area in an otherwise rundown city, and the fact that there was a massive social difference between those within and outside the wall of La Zona (The Zone). And the aspect of difference between laws between the two was also interesting, as outside The Zone ordinary police were the law, and inside The Zone local guards were the law.

Storywise "La Zona" started out quite okay, but it never really took hold and never really turned into something overly impressive. And as mentioned above, then it totally lost its bearing after about an hour.

The acting was adequate, but nothing extraordinary though. At least I didn't take notice of anyone in particular.

"La Zona" is a mediocre entertaining movie. But not being overly familiar with Mexican cinema, I can't say whether or not this movie is an overall representation of mediocrity there.

affecting newbie

[philipfoxe · 5/10 · 23 March 2011]

This is clearly the work of a novice on a tiny budget. The scripting is weak and the characters poorly developed. Nevertheless despite this it manages to convey some points, which, with more resources available would doubtless be developed in an interesting direction. Others have covered the plot line,but what the film does portray is a bleak modern urban environment with the bourgeois families ensconced in their fortress, terrified of the outside world. They are atomised and have no social cohesion. Each family and also each individual within the family is isolated and paranoid. At the smallest fear, they turn on each other. The police officer who tries to be decent and do his job, is subverted by the endemic corruption of the force and reverts to brutality, turning his guilt and self-hate against the desperate mother. At the end we have poor Alejandro whose basic human instincts have survived, helpless in the face of an uncaring brutalised society. A bleak film to be sure; no one is saved, but it's probably better for that. You are left to think 'How could this be changed?'

Nice premise, ordinary execution

[paul2001sw-1 · 5/10 · 11 March 2011]

Thise of us who favour the establishment of a more equal society argue that it would even benefit the rich themselves - what's the point of having money if you have to live in fear of someone taking it off you? And the idea of a film set in a secure community might seem to be a good way of exploring the corrosive effect on personal morality that comes from living on either side of a state of siege. In 'La Zona', we see residents of a posh enclave in Mexico, slum kids and a corrupt police force: at times, the movie seems to be suggesting they're all as bad as each other. After a botched robbery sees an intruder stuck in the zone, the residents resolve to track him down: unfortunately, the plot doesn't make perfect sense. In particular, the motivation of the residents, to risk their own lives for a notion of revenge, never seems wholly logical; it's hard to believe that such influential people would not have appropriate police protection, if they didn't antagonise the cops by insisting on doing it themselves. The ending is thus less powerful than it tries to be; what's really chilling is the way that legal systems often seem to care only about property rights. Some of the worst behaviour on this planet is carried out by those who never need to break a law.

about fear

[Vincentiu · 18 July 2014]

a small community. its solutions for a profound problem. nothing original. but the old theme has an inspired manner to be presented. cold, direct,realistic, cruel. and that fact creates bridges between story, viewer and the ordinary reactions to confuse danger. because it is a film who presents the fear as sign for different situations. the house, the other, the family, the rage as justice, the paranoia slices, the corruption of system, the expectation of a woman and her daughter. a film about the others who becomes a movie about yourself. that could be all. in fact,because it represents little more than a good film, that detail represents just the beginning. because, in a deep sense, it becomes after its end.