El Norte

It ought to be required viewing -- on both sides of the border.

[Audiences will] get plenty for their money: powerful acting, flint-clean cinematography, a riveting story that transcends geographical boundaries, and a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.

There is no question El Norte is one-sided, even propagandistic and sentimental at times, but its emotional and visual power supersedes some of its predictability.

Through the efforts of cinematographer James Glennon, Nava has almost succeeded in matching the unique style of Latin American writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez whose tales are a vibrant mixture of fantasy and reality.

El Norte is an epic story told on a small, intimate human scale.

Things go wrong in fairly predictable ways and the movie's last 15 minutes are undeniably maudlin. But by then we're so caught up in Enrique and Rosa's struggles, it's easy to forgive the film's unabashed sentimentality.

Its images are so forceful, and so beautiful, that they transcend the story's simplicity and reach into a realm that can be justly called poetic.

A vibrant moving picture of grim realities.

Haunting, poetic and warmly sympathetic.

It never drags and has moments of Costa Gavras-like suspense which Nava presents in a style all his own.