David Zonana directs Heroico, which premiered on the second day of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Froylan Escobar Lara | The Sun of Mexico
Motivated to discover the other side of the army, the director David Zonana opted for a story inspired by real testimonies, from former cadets who recount their time at the Military College.
More than 40 statements shaped the script for his new film, Heroico, which addresses the story of Luis, an 18-year-old boy who enters the Military College, where he realizes that, to be an exemplary soldier, he will have to deal with different types of violence, as well as abuses of power.
As Mexicans, it is nothing new to come into contact with the military world today, but for me it was important to raise issues that the media generally do not talk about or do not highlight, such as the origins of the young people who enter the Armed Forces, their motivations, their social situation and understanding the process they go through to become soldiers,” Zonana said in an interview.
“I think it is fundamental to understand that as Mexicans and put aside the caricature of the image that we may have of the Army for better and for worse,” she said.
The story required months of research with people who had lived through that process; His objective as a director was to enter the most intimate part to offer the viewer another perspective.
“Different fronts were attended to document the project, through books or visits to the institutions to see them first-hand, but the most important thing was the people who opened the doors to their experience within the schools, both those who did not participate on the tape, like those who did”, said the director.
One of the important issues that is reflected is about the sexual diversity that is lived within that environment.
“In the end, all concentration systems have power dynamics, sexuality as a power dynamic, whether in the military world or in a company, in a prison, I think it is more related to exercising power and those issues are touched on in the film “, held.
Santiago Sandoval, Mónica del Carmen, Fernando Cuautle, Carlos Gerardo García, Esteban Caicedo and Isabel Yudice are part of the cast. Made between Mexico and Sweden, the film is produced by Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez and David Zonana, who also served as a screenwriter.
After its premiere at Sundance, it will compete in different national festivals to finally be released in theaters, Zonana said.
This article is originally published on noticiasvespertinas.com.mx
