Reviews

La Otra Conquista is movie that in different because it tells the story from a different point of view. The point of view of the people who were conquered but were in Mexico first, the native people. I found that interesting because most movies deal with the conquerors and not those that were conquered.

It was more a movie about surviving, but doing so in a manner that persevered the culture and identity of the native people. I enjoyed watching a movie from that perspective. As a young film student, I especially enjoyed the way that the movie was shot. It seems amazing to me that the director was able to capture the sense of the past while shooting in a very urban landscape.

This movie deals with a lot of heavy issues and is not really what you would call a feel good movie, but through all the sadness and drama there is still hope at the end. It is about Beth, a mother, a wife and most of all just a person. She is a person who has not always made the best decisions but a person that is very easy to relate to on a human level. It is that humanity that makes this movie so compelling to watch.

Beth has problems all around her, especially with her alcoholic and abusive husband but she is trying to keep her family together. And although this family does not have much they all seem to maintain a sense of pride of their culture. This pride is both good and sadly also bad. It blinded Beth to what was happening to her family but after a terrible tragedy it was that pride that made her realize to keep what was left of her family together she had to tear it apart.

As a Japanese student I am not old enough to remember my country's own experience with war and after watching this movie I am glad that I know little of war. It is different than many of the American war movies that seem to glorify battles. This movie does not make a statement about whether war is good or not, it just shows the sadness of war.

Based on the historical Battle of Algiers it shows the real cost of war and the price of freedom. In using the boy who helps Ali by reading for him the director shows how his generation is literally needed to help the cause, but the metaphor is about how the movement needs the younger generation to succeed. The director does not really concentrate on the ultimate outcome of the war, just the horror of the battle and that it pretty unique for a war film.

This film is still relevant because so many countries around the world are involved in their own fight for freedom. It is not saying war is good, just that it is tough and the way that they are fought is very sad.

This movie breaks a lot of the established rules of Hollywood film making and that is what makes it so good. The fact that Bunuel made this movie over 60 years ago makes it even more striking. It presents some very disturbing themes that leaves the viewer with many thoughts about the fairness of life.

It is the story of a young boy who was born into some unfortunate circumstances. It seems that Pedro's life might have turned out differently had he just received the love of his mother; the love he so desperately wanted. Without that love and with no one who really believed in him it was not surprising that that his life turned out so poorly.

However, what makes the movie unique is the ending. It was not your typical Hollywood happy ending and that is both refreshing and in this case disturbing. Disturbing because Pedro finally decides to confront the truth but unfortunately it's too late, his fate was too die at the hands of El Jaibo.