Identifying Features

Fernanda Valadez

Middle-aged Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez) has lost contact with her son after he took off for the U.S. border to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him, she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. Fernanda Valadez has crafted a lyrical, suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror.

DIRECTOR
Fernanda Valadez
YEAR
2020
COUNTRY
Mexico / Spain
RUNTIME
94 minutes
LANGUAGE
Spanish with English subtitles
START DATE
December 9, 2020

Identifying Feature screens virtually nationwide from 12/9 to 12/14. Get tickets here.

Middle-aged Magdalena (Mercedes Hernandez) has lost contact with her son after he took off with a friend from their town of Guanajuato to cross the border into the U.S., hopeful to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him—and to know whether or not he’s even alive—she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. At the same time, a young man named Miguel (David Illescas) has returned to Mexico after being deported from the U.S., and eventually his path converges with Magdalena’s. From this simple but urgent premise, director Fernanda Valadez has crafted a lyrical, suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror, and which leads to a startling, shattering conclusion. Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience and Screenplay Awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A Kino Lorber release.

Identifying Features
Identifying Features

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