Three Mexican mothers struggle with the disappearance of their children in Alicia Calderón's troubling documentary. Natividad Guerrero has searched in vain for her daughter Dalia, and the authorities have been no help. She's sent writs and made phone calls. Now, she and her husband Ernesto look after their grandson Diego, whose teacher worries that no one has told him that his mother and father probably aren't coming back. Every year, thousands go missing in Mexico, largely due to organized crime, and the police and politicians don't seem too concerned—the estimated 26,000 disappearances are seen as collateral damage in President Calderón's War on Drugs. Guadalupe Aguilar, who lost her son José Luis, has taken matters into her own hands by retracing his steps, seeking out surveillance video, and speaking with various authority figures, even the president himself at a public appearance. "You don't live like you used to," she laments to the director, since the search has consumed her life. Both Guerrero and Aguilar participate in protests to raise awareness, during which they meet Margarita López, who thinks she may have found out what happened to her daughter Yahaira, but the FBI won't share the DNA evidence that would confirm her fears. Even if she can't see her daughter again, López wants to ensure that Yahaira receives a proper burial. When the agency continues to stall, she goes on a hunger strike with other survivors, and finally receives some information. An empathetic film about a heartbreaking subject, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
Portraits of a Search
(2015) 53 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. DVD: $89: public libraries, $350: colleges & universities. Women Make Movies. PPR. Volume 33, Issue 2
Portraits of a Search
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