“Pedro Páramo,” an epic adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s iconic Mexican novel, is available on Netflix as of Wednesday.
The 137-minute movie made its world premiere in September in the Toronto International Film Festival and played just two weeks ago in the Morelia International Film Festival in Michoacán.
The film marks the feature-length directorial debut of renowned Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, features a star-studded Mexican cast and was shot in locations around Mexico. Its Netflix presentation includes subtitles in English and nine other languages.
The project represented a great challenge due to the essence of Rulfo’s literary work, in which the main character travels to the ghost town of Comala to search for a father he doesn’t know, Pedro Páramo. Though less than 150 pages, the book is a difficult first-time read, as lines between the living and the dead that blur and incidents from the past and present intertwine.
Now considered a literary masterpiece, “Pedro Páramo” sold poorly and received only a few lukewarm reviews when it was first published in Mexico City in 1955.
Its ascent to becoming a cornerstone of Latin American literature, however, can be intuited in this famous quote from “Love in the Time of Cholera” author Gabriel García Márquez: “Without reading ‘Pedro Páramo,’ I wouldn’t have been able to write ‘100 Years of Solitude,’” another masterpiece of magical realism.
As for the movie, “Pedro Páramo” was listed as the No. 1 film on Netflix within 24 hours of its release, but it has received mixed reviews so far. RogerEbert.com called it “an alluring ghost story full of visual intrigue and surrealist imagery.” But the New York Times deemed it a “grave adaptation” of the novel in which “the filmmaking is oddly orthodox.”
Mexican actor Manuel García Rulfo stars as Juan Preciado, the man who is confronted with a desolate town filled with whispers and wandering souls. The 43-year-old is best known for his roles in films such as “The Magnificent Seven” in 2016 and the current Netflix series “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
Other Mexican stars in “Páramo” include Tenoch Huerta of “Black Panther” fame and Ilse Salas, twice nominated for an Ariel Award (often called a Mexican Oscar) for best actress. She won in 2019 for “Las Niñas Bien” (“The Good Girls”) and also received acclaim for her role in Alonso Ruizpalacios’ acclaimed 2014 coming-of-age film “Güeros” (also on Netflix).
Prieto said directing the ambitious “Páramo” project took him back to his high school years when Rulfo’s classic was required reading. He called it “an exciting challenge and a deeply personal journey.”
Prieto, 59, is “one of the most acclaimed and respected cinematographers in the world,” according to the Morelia film fest catalog, one who uses meticulous setups, unconventional camerawork and rich colors.
A multiple Ariel Award winner, he has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on “Brokeback Mountain” and three Martin Scorsese movies, including “The Irishman.” He made his directorial debut 11 years ago with the short film “Likeness” following his breakthrough as a cinematographer for “Amores Perros” in 2000.
“Páramo” was filmed in the states of Nayarit and San Luis Potosí, and in Mexico City. “Many exteriors were required,” Prieto said. “Streets with specific characteristics, plazas, fondas [homestyle restaurants] and the Media Luna,” a lagoon in San Luis Potosí.
According to a release from Netflix, the film brought in more than 375 million pesos (US $18.8 million) to Mexico’s economy, with a production team of more than 550 technicians and artists. In San Luis Potosí alone, there were more than 2,500 workers and 900 extras, resulting in nearly 15,0000 hotel nights booked in the state.
The costume design department collaborated with artisans and tailors from around the country: huaraches from Comala, Colima; sarapes from Contla, Tlaxcala; charro tailors from Aguascalientes, and rebozos from the México state. In all, more than 5,000 garments were designed and made for the film, according to the release.
The soundtrack was performed by more than 30 traditional musicians from Jalisco, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Puebla, Chiapas and Mexico City.
