Can you break the cycle of violence? It’s a thought-provoking, if not overly familiar question that Mexican writer/directors Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero aim to answer in this blunt, straight-talking gangland drama; though avoiding clichés proves rather tricky.
When middle-of-the-road gunman, Josué (Juan Jesús Varela), is killed for betraying his gang in rural Mexico, his four-year-old son is targeted by the local drug lord and forced into hiding with his Aunt Nemesia (Yadira Pérez). Will young Sujo (bright spark Kevin Aguilar) grow up to be another disposable Sicario like his father? Or can he escape the gravitational pull of crime once and for all?
It’s clear, looking back at the history of the genre, creating a compelling Mafia kid is no easy task. There’s a formula, and ripping it up takes bravery. Fortunately, Sujo navigates tropey waters by showing the intricacies of organised crime through the eyes of an innocent and disorientated child. By giving us a warzone of drug lords and gangland murders from a four-year-olds perspective, the slightest threat seems enormous.
It’s like a thematic forced perspective. Now, previously small things, like Sujo getting lost in the woods or simply travelling to school, seem unbelievably mammoth. The opening sections also give us time to see Sujo’s strained relationship with his shamanistic Aunt, who is like a protective phantom; lurking in the shadows but never quite getting close enough to truly comfort her nephew.
The first act rightfully lingers here, but the overall story isn’t secure enough to stay in one place. It’s a shame, because as we meet a cigarette smoking, gun-toting gang initiate in teenage Sujo (played by the same actor as his father), the film isn’t as compelling. The metaphor of the father’s sins visited upon his son is interesting when explored so physically, but nothing trumps the scenes in Sujo’s childhood. When framed through adolescent eyes everything is sadly smaller.
Nevertheless, Valadez and Rondero are aware of the midsection lull. The story certainly rediscovers its voice at the hallway mark when Sujo’s cousins, Jeremy and Jai, immerse themselves in organised crime. Here, we see just how attractive the criminal existence is to those living in poverty, and it’s appropriately arduous to watch them walk that path.
The adolescent Sujo grows out of his awkward semi-gangster years, too. He’s constantly on the cusp of rejoining the gang but continues to suffer to forge a safer identity; wearing his fathers face turns out to be keenly poignant.
Thankfully, we never devolve into predictable shootouts or car chases. Sujo is an engaging and intelligent coming-of-age film that confidently provides an answer to whether the cycle of violence can be broken. So, yes. This Mafia kid breaks the curse.
