THE MOST INTERNATIONALLY AWARDED
MEXICAN FILM IN HISTORY

“The tiny, tough, sneakily moving film wears its revolutionary romanticism on its sleeve, not far from its gun... A series of delicately played and directed interludes involving the grandson, a landowner, a donkey and, finally and startlingly, an army officer with an apparent sentimental streak… Mr. Tavira, an acting novice… was awarded a prize for this performance at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“Hailed as a masterpiece in (the filmmaker’s) native Mexico. It’s easy to see why. The action…builds into a subtle psychological game.”
– Sara Cardace, New York Magazine

“(An) accomplished, suspenseful, extremely well-shot political drama… A movie of undeniable gravitas and monumentality.”
– J. Hoberman, Village Voice

“Of real interest is the showdown between an office (Gama) and an aging local farmer (the extraordinary Tavira), who lures the petty tyrant into a trance via his violin playing.”
–Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out NY

“A sweet, beautifully crafted story of an old man and his violin. Tavira’s acting is the high point of this suspenseful yet beautiful movie.”
– V.A. Musetto, New York Post

“(A) deceptively modest movie… Shot in poetic black and white, THE VIOLIN is a seemingly simple film
composed of multiple harmonies and dissonances, much like the aching folk music that supplies its soundtrack.”
– Reed Johnson, The Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times writes “A number of Mexican film critics have pronounced it an unalloyed masterpiece… (a) deceptively modest movie about an octogenarian fiddle player embroiled in an Indian peasant uprising. Father, son and even grandson are actively supporting a ragtag army of indigenous rebels fighting to hold on to their ancestral farmlands. The conflict puts the rebels on a collision course with the Mexican army. Shot in poetic black and white, THE VIOLIN is a seemingly simple film composed of multiple harmonies and dissonances, much like the aching folk music that supplies its soundtrack.”

Mexico • 2006 • 98 Minutes • In Spanish with English Subtitles • Film Movement

Listen to our podcast:
Q & A with filmmaker FRANCISCO VARGAS
& translator REBECA CONGET
in Spanish & English
(Recorded December 5, 2007)