The Jalisco hills of Mexico are beautiful with a long history of agriculture. Many covet the agave grown there. María García (Teresa Sánchez) is the middle-aged owner of an old and celebrated Mexican-owned Tequila factory. She shows an obvious hatred for the ‘gringos’ and other foreigners who have brought her business to its knees with their race-to-the-bottom economics.
Cheap American and European tequila makers race to buy up all the agave they can find, making the slowly advancing agave plague more and more of a threat each year. We watch as the economic tension increases and debt piles up, but María is unwilling to sell the slowly failing factory in a desperate last stand against the creeping globalization of the liquor market.
Dos Estaciones is a cerebral film that may not appeal to everyone. From start to finish, every shot is beautiful. There are some really interesting conversations that take place, but mostly we sit in stillness and watch daily life. This contemplative slowness may reveal many beauties in the landscape and the people of Jalisco. Still, it presents issues for the viewer: Dos Estaciones lacks a meaty plot and is hard to follow.
While it is an excellent examination of rural existence and emotional repression, these themes are double-edged, cutting away at the plot and our connection with the characters. The viewer is constantly left asking questions: What is going on? Who was that? The theme of globalization is almost completely swallowed up by the lack of exposition and context, and the theme of repression is represented to the point of stifling character development.
If you are looking for an art film that asks more than it answers and focuses on stillness, Dos Estaciones will deliver. Art and nature fans will enjoy the slow pacing, expertly shot landscape, and beautiful cinematography of Dos Estaciones, but drama viewers may be lulled to sleep by the dragging pace and lack of plot development. Recommended.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
While your inclination may be to put Dos Estaciones in the drama section, it may be more suited for art film collections in public libraries.