Narco Cultura

The narcocorrido is an utterly bizarre genre of music. The style is a mix of country, folk music, and polka. The lyrics are directly inspired by the acts of the Mexican drug cartels, their beheadings, executions, extortions, and drug trafficking. Drug dealers love the narcocorrido singers and call them with stories of their latest exploits to request new songs. The singers on their part idolize the drug kingpins and seek to emulate their "Scarface" style of life. With the rising death tolls in Mexico and increasing popularity of the genre both there and in the United State, the narcocorridos show no signs of going away. Narco Cultura follows Edgar Quintero, one of the most prominent singers of the genre. Quintero’s a husband and a father who leads a stable life and seems like a genuinely good guy, but there’s one problem. He’s fascinated by the drug culture in Mexico, enthralled by the violence, and sees nothing wrong with glorifying the deeds of his friends in the cartels. 

The other side of the drug culture is not nearly as glamorous. Over three thousand homicides occur in Ciudad Juarez every year. 98% of the time, investigations lead nowhere. No one knows that better than Richi Soto, a crime scene investigator who day after day goes out into the streets of the city, risking his life not only because it is the only way he feels that he can combat the rampant,  ever-spreading violence, but because it's one of the few jobs left in a city with extensive unemployment. Unlike others, he could very easily move to Texas, but he stays because of his great love for his home city. He recalls a time when Ciudad Juarez was prosperous, quiet and beautiful. He stays to reclaim the home he knew. He's the true hero of the film. 

Director Saul Schwarz sprinkles the film with lyrical, heartbreaking images of quiet reflection: A dog walks through the empty streets of Juarez; The red and blue lights from a police car fill the screen, illuminating a dark crime scene; Countless boxes of discarded files and evidence fill up a room at the police department; A tiny dotted line makes clear the almost nonexistent boundary between the cities of Juarez and El Paso, Texas, the safest city in the United States with only five homicides per year. The images slow down the pace of the film, but they enhance its artistry and soulfulness. Why do we allow such atrocities to go by unresolved and unnoticed? The film and its characters don’t have the answers. They merely observe. 

The film takes a few cheap shots by granting interviews to a few clueless Americans to bolster its argument. One Border Patrol spokesman is particularly idiotic and inarticulate, which makes for great tragicomic relief. This is ultimately unfair. The screenwriters also seem to have crafted eloquent monologues for Richi that somewhat lessen his otherwise sincere story. But these are minor flaws to be expected even in the greatest of documentaries (like Chronicle of  a Summer, for example). Narco Cultura is a gut-wrenching, sickening film, but it finds an honest and original way to deal with a pressing issue that lives in the shadows. More people need to become aware of the drug culture affecting all of America; this is as good an introduction as any.

Verdict- 3/4 Narco Cultura (2013) 1h. 43 min. R.

Random Thoughts
- It's horrifying that Richi is forced to wear a mask every day for work for his protection. If he's not careful, he could be killed at any moment, like four of his companions, one of whom was killed during the making of the film.
- Quintero is so blind to the harm his music and the drug culture he so loves are causing, if he were to watch this film, he would probably think that he comes off as the hero. He probably also thinks highly of Tony Montana and Walter White.