2012
113 minutes
rated R
by Scott Mendelson
Gerardo Naranjo's bracing and relatively uncompromising Miss Bala operates on two levels. On the surface, it is a harrowing descent into a slice of hell, seen through the eyes on a single unwitting participant. Its genre elements kick into gear at around the fifteen-minute mark and never let up until the sobering conclusion. As a propulsive exercise, it exists as the kind of 'you are there' experience that would put most 'found-footage' horror films to shame. But it also exists as a brutal reminder of the absurdity of the ongoing drug war and the deplorable circumstances that exist for women in all-too many countries, as well as the lack of options for escaping said circumstances. It does not really need the onscreen text that more-or-less spells out its message just as the credits roll. The film itself operates as a powerful social statement, on top of being a pretty solid thriller.
