Just as many pundits criticized gangsta rap for glorifying inner-city violence in America during the ‘90s, Shaul Schwarz's documentary points an accusatory finger at songs with lyrics glorifying the violent exploits of Mexican drug traffickers but set to the traditionally jaunty rhythms of popular Latin music. Narco Cultura focuses on two individuals: Richi Soto, a crime scene investigator in Juarez—where drug violence is an everyday occurrence—and Edgar Quintero, a Los Angeles musician who not only writes and performs “narcocorrido” songs, but also longs to immerse himself in narco culture while enjoying the relative safety of American suburbia. The film juxtaposes footage of Soto, grimly visiting sites where bullet-ridden corpses lie in roads where children play and mothers mourn their sons' deaths (or Soto attending the funerals of fellow officers gunned down by gangs) with scenes of Quintero performing his happy-sounding songs about the ongoing slaughter in front of gyrating club audiences, or singing them to his wife and young son at home. The contrast is jarring, as the music appears to cheapen the real pain and loss suffered by ordinary people across the southern border. Narco Cultura doesn't entirely escape the feeling that it is essentially two separate films stitched together, but its overall impact is undeniable. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Narco Cultura
Docurama, 103 min., in Spanish & English w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $34.95, Feb. 25 Volume 29, Issue 2
Narco Cultura
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