“Heli” is a lyrical art film

By Jenny Alvarez

Photos Agency

Estela (Andrea Vergara) is a 12 year old girl who has just fallen crazy in love with a young police cadet who wants to run away with her and get married. Trying to achieve this dream, her family will have to live the violence that is devastating the region. Heli is her oldest brother (Armando Espitia) who lives with his wife and baby. Both suffer in special crime force and, later, the corrupt local police only reinforces the picture of this family as victims of forces way beyond their control. The story of a rural, working-class Mexican family torn apart by the drug trade and makes it graphically hard to see it but reflects the real life of locals from any poor region from Mexico. The director Amat Escalante shows the suffering endured by his protagonists combined with corruption and hopeless of the authorities and society. In 105 minutes, the viewer will be engaged with the background music especially with “Los Pasteles Verdes” and their song “Esclavo y Amo” a well chosen song with deep lyrics for the story. The story is so deliberately riveting, and simply because you might miss the next great shot. The background is really realistic with the ambience of the characters. There is not much optimism in the view held by Escalante, especially for the destiny of each character which some of them are lie they are living in hell without any hope of moral and spiritual recovery lies in the next generation who is already irreparably damaged. And the innocent of Estela is the best model of her tragic circumstances. The language used is a little bit dull but the plot is sharp of all this escalating chaos.