This Mexican crime drama explores the life of a young boy navigating the aftermath of cartel violence, but it lacks the emotional intensity and anger needed to fully resonate.
Set in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, Sujo tells the story of a teenager grappling with his identity and future after his father, a sicario (cartel assassin), is murdered. The killers, fearing the boy might one day seek revenge, hunt him down. Sujo (Kevin Aguilar) escapes to a secluded shack belonging to his vigilant aunt Nemesia (Yadira Pérez), who becomes a maternal figure alongside his other aunt Rosalia (Karla Garrido) and cousins Jai (Alexis Varela) and Jeremy (Jairo Hernandez). As Sujo grows into a teenager (Juan Jesús Varela), he faces a pivotal choice: follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a drug runner or pursue a new path in Mexico City by studying literature and building a life far removed from the violence that surrounds him.
Directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez, the duo behind the poignant drama Identifying Features, this film revisits themes of familial bonds and societal struggle. While Identifying Features delivered a heart-wrenching portrayal of a mother’s grief, Sujo feels less charged, with its portrayal of Sujo’s potential academic life lacking the depth and contrast necessary to rival the bleak allure of the criminal underworld constantly tugging at him.
The significance of Sujo’s name remains ambiguous until the film’s conclusion, which ties back to his father’s ironically innocent childhood. While thoughtfully conceived and executed, the film lacks the fiery urgency and passion that defined Rondero and Valadez’s earlier work, leaving it a strong but less impactful piece of storytelling.