Canícula opens with a stunning image: a pole suspended above the tree tops is gently swaying as four men climb up into the sky and prepare to take flight in a tradition that is hundreds of years old.
Jose Álvarez’s passionate portrait of the lives and rituals of the Indians of the Totonac village of Veracruz pulsates with the rhythms of their pre-industrial and deeply spiritual lives. This spirituality is the driving force behind such rituals as the men spinning in the sky. With its incredible editing and striking images, Álvarez’s hauntingly beautiful film demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible and cements him as one of the most promising Mexican filmmakers working today.