Mai morire

Following on from the thriller plot and sting in the tail of his debut Parque vía, Enrique Rivero takes a different path in Mai morire. The minimal style remains, but this time there is no rigid structure. And this perfectly suits this meditative reflection on the passing of time and (ritually) taking leave from a loved one.
Chayo, a middle-aged Mexican woman, hears that her mother is dying. She returns to her native village, via the waterways of Xochimilco, and takes on the everyday chores. She does the housework, is reunited with her husband and two children and prepares for the inevitable.
Using sparse interraction and sparing dialogue, Rivero proves that he is able to tell a story with few narrative means. The drama is equally revealed in the lovely wide-screen images of fields, rivers, trees and distant mountain ranges. In combination with a dreamy soundtrack, these are beautiful metaphors for Chayo's emotions, which seem calm on the surface, but underneath are raging. Pure poetry.