499

Documentary - 2020 - Mexico, USA - Spanish - 87 Minutes

Tribeca Film Festival (Winner Cinematography Prize), Hot Docs

In acclaimed director Rodrigo Reyes' (Lupe Under The Sun, Purgatorio) bold new feature, a 16th century conquistador finds himself stranded in modern day Mexico encountering real- life ordinary citizens whose lives have been upended in ways that the Conquistador could never have envisioned 499 years prior, when Mexico was colonized by men like him.  Using an innovative and immersive mixture of fiction and non-fiction, and finding a way to weave to magical realist and verité elements, Reyes has crafted an audacious, staggering work examining the lingering effects of colonialism as well as providing a way for a country and it citizens to heal from centuries old wounds.    

"A tender heartbreaking look at Mexico, its history and its culture...499 is a bold, unique film that finds hope after grief, and optimistically looks forward to the future, while still remembering the sins of its past…spellbinding." -FilmThreat

"Yes it is a masterpiece.  Yes, it is highly recommended. Yes, it is a film that does what the best cinema does...it will be a film that will leave a scar and change the way you see the world." -Unseen Films

"499 is often as riveting as it is stunning to consume: a spiritual journey punctuated with inhumane acts of violence intertwined with a certain national identity. Reyes offers an ambitious and unflinching portrait of contemporary Mexico." -Jordan Raup, The Film Stage