Gradually, writer-director Maryse Sistach reveals what fuels her anger and instinct for self-destruction. Her home-life closely resembles hell, populated by a stepbrother who allows a friend to rape her in return for cash to buy new trainers, a stupid, selfish mother and a stepfather who refuses to see the purpose of school. Yessica's only hope lies in her new friend, the kindly Miriam. But what parent would want her daughter befriending Yessica? This omnipresent antipathy lies at the root of all her problems.

Mexican cinema has often stood accused of churning out countless low-budget imitations of Hollywood blockbusters, but Sistach's work constantly challenges the notion. Her films show an interest in society and setting, and Mexico City, where this film is based, is portrayed as a semi-civilised sprawl where life is cheap but living is expensive. The spectre of poverty haunts almost every scene and she suggests a nation disfigured by a belief that women are virtually worthless.

DID YOU KNOW?
	Perfume de Violetas won over 20 awards on the international film festival circuit and was Mexico's official selection for the Academy Awards.   The screenplay was co-written by José Buil, who also produced the film. He previously co-directed two of Sistach's movies.

Sistach's background lies in documentary filmmaking and she textures Perfume de Violetas with a Steadicam reality to imply that this is not a fiction, but an insight into Mexican society. Although unflinching and unsentimental throughout, the film's finale still manages to shock, but even more disturbing is Sistach's claim that her script was inspired by a true story.

Grim and uncompromising, this stands as a moving addition to the re-emergence of Latin filmmaking and a must for anyone interested in South America beyond the hackneyed image of guns and gringos down Mexico way.

Gavin Collinson

Cast

Yessica   Ximena Ayala
Miriam   Nancy Gutiérrez
Jorge   Luis Fernando Peña
Alicia   Arcelia Ramírez

BBC Links

bbc.co.uk/films

bbc.co.uk/collective