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Movies / On DVD / Sangre de Mi Sangre
Sangre de Mi Sangre

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Sangre de Mi Sangre (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 34

Fresh: 28

Rotten:6

Average Rating: 7/10

Consensus: This suspenseful Mexican drama portrays the immigrant experience with grit and poignancy.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:2007

Synopsis: Winner of the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, SANGRE DE MI SANGRE is a dark, intense thriller from director Christopher Zalla. It's the story of two young Mexican men, Pedro (Jorge Adrian... Winner of the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, SANGRE DE MI SANGRE is a dark, intense thriller from director Christopher Zalla. It's the story of two young Mexican men, Pedro (Jorge Adrian Espindola) and Juan (Armando Hernandez), who meet while making an illegal crossing from Mexico to Manhattan, crammed into the back of a truck. Pedro reveals to Juan his plan to find his long lost father at an old address that was given to him by his mother. Juan, a born hustler, absorbs Pedro's story and pretends to befriend him, but at the end of their journey he knocks him out and steals his belongings. When Pedro comes to, he finds himself alone and penniless on a dark corner in Brooklyn. He wanders the streets and meets Magda (Paola Mendoza), a Spanish-speaking prostitute. Unable to speak English, Pedro enlists her help navigating the city and finding his father. But Juan has already located Pedro's father, and assumed Pedro's identity. Pedro's father Diego (Jesus Ochoa) initially dismisses Juan's story, but Juan dogs his every step, and eventually begins to charm him. The suspense builds as Pedro continues to thread his way through New York's underbelly, slowly closing in on Juan, leading to the film's explosive and surprising end. SANGRE DE MI SANGRE crafts a sharp, relentlessly grim portrait of life for an illegal immigrant, and throws a spotlight onto a people who are generally hidden from society's view. While it offers a heartbreaking look at the plight of immigrants, the story itself contains some rather frustrating plot inconsistencies, and some graphic depictions of sex and violence. However, that aside, most viewers will likely still find themselves biting their nails, caught up in the suspense of this raw and original film. [More]

Starring: Armando Hernandez, Jorge Adrian Espinolda, Paola Mendoza, Jesus Ochoa

Starring: Armando Hernandez, Jorge Adrian Espinolda, Paola Mendoza, Jesus Ochoa

Director: Christopher Zalla

Director: Christopher Zalla
Producer: Benjamin Odell, Per Melita
Composer: Brian Cullman
Studio: IFC Films

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Release:

Dec 16, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Fleeing his criminal past, Juan hops a truck transporting illegal immigrants from Mexico to NYC, where he meets Pedro, who is going to America to search for his father. When Pedro wakes up in New York, Juan has stolen his ID and gone to claim Pedro's father as his own. Now Juan and Pedro, identities confused, are both in Brooklyn looking for a father who neither has ever met.
  • Source: Genius Productions Inc.
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    Reviews for Sangre de Mi Sangre

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    Eventually, of course, all the characters will have to collide for a final reckoning, but that moment strains credulity to the breaking point and sabotages the entire enterprise

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    12/29/08
    Don Willmott
    Filmcritic.com

    Christopher Zalla, a graduate of the film program at Columbia University, makes an impressive debut with this suspense feature about illegal immigrants and stolen identity.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    12/17/08
    J. R. Jones
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's the relationships between the characters, layered and emotional, that saves Sangre from itself.

    Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Stan Hall
    Oregonian

    [Director Christopher] Zalla may have provided his characters with a overly constructed tragedy, but his eye for city life and his seeming gift with actors promises astute, generous work to come.

    Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
    06/20/08
    Lisa Kennedy
    Denver Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There's nothing easy about Christopher Zalla's very good film, a story that will get under your skin in its depiction of the dark underbelly of the American dream.

    Full Review Source: The Deadbolt | comment Comment
    06/20/08
    Brian Tallerico
    The Deadbolt

    Stumbles through a maddening screenplay but nevertheless generates true emotional energy.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    06/20/08
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [Director Christopher] Zalla keeps the tension high through a taut story rather than through manipulative, obtrusive thriller direction.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    06/19/08
    Tasha Robinson
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A moving story combined with first rate acting and a great screenplay by a new, but determined, writer/director make this an indie film not to be missed. Modern film noir from the streets of Mexico to the streets of America.

    Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics | comment Comment
    06/17/08
    Ron Wilkinson
    Monsters and Critics

    Zalla utilizes both the dark back streets of New York and the dark nature of some humans to weave an intoxicating tale of stolen identity and pilfered emotions.

    Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
    06/12/08
    Larry Ratliff
    San Antonio Express-News

    Plot flaws and all, we can be glad that the picture was made -- because of its acting.

    Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
    05/27/08
    Stanley Kauffmann
    New Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Shot mainly in New York's meanest, murkiest streets, Sangre de Mi Sangre, is intricately and imaginatively structured, building to a powerful climax of complex irony.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    05/23/08
    Kevin Thomas
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Zalla wants to know the point where boys become cynics, men become vultures, and the hardened become vulnerable.

    Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
    05/23/08
    Amy Nicholson
    I.E. Weekly

    Sangre De Mi Sangre could have done without a few plot coincidences and the film's relentless mean street look seems studied at times. But the film's behavioral honesty pumps vibrant, undeniable life through every frame.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
    05/22/08
    Bob Strauss
    Los Angeles Daily News

    Stands out from the recent wave of movies about the plight of immigrants coming to the United States...because it’s more suspenseful than heart-tugging.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    05/16/08
    John P. McCarthy
    Boxoffice Magazine

    A suspenseful movie with no intention of sugarcoating the daily hardships of New York's underclass.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    05/16/08
    V.A. Musetto
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The grimy elegance of this Sundance award winner elevates it well above the standard-issue immigrant drama.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    05/16/08
    John Anderson
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Although it exhibits a heartfelt connection with the city's half-invisible population of illegal immigrants, its myriad inconsistencies and strained plotting are increasingly frustrating.

    comment Comment
    05/16/08
    Stephen Holden
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [Director] Zalla prefers to wallow in the dead-end, an approach that's initially powerful, then numbing.

    Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
    05/15/08
    Noel Murray
    AV Club

    A gritty and poignant Mexican drama about the search for family.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    05/15/08
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    Mostly, this smacks of instaguilt artificiality: as if Luis Buñuel wrote Los Olvidados during a cushy, latte-infused stay at Robert Redford’s ski lodge.

    Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
    05/14/08
    Joshua Rothkopf
    Time Out New York
     
     
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    Latest News for Sangre de Mi Sangre

    May 11, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
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    January 28, 2007: Sundance Awards: "Padre Nuestro," "Grace is Gone" Among Competition Winners
    Results are in for this year's Sundance festival winners, including awards for John Cusack's "Grace is Gone," Christopher Zalla's "Padre Nuestro," NASA... More...

    January 28, 2007: Sundance Reviews: "Padre Nuestro," "Blame It On Fidel," and "Waitress" All Superb
    Short reviews for three of the better films we saw at Sundance (the strongly acted Spanish language thriller "Padre Nuestro," French 1970s-set kid drama "Blame it... More...

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