IN LA ZONA, HIS POWERFUL DEBUT FEATURE, DIRECTOR RODRIGO PLA EXPLORES THE TIERED SOCIETY PLAGUING MEXICO, WHERE THE DISPARITY BETWEEN RICH AND POOR HAS BECOME SO EXAGGERATED THAT IT IS SPLITTING THE COUNTRY IN TWO.
A rich and powerful Mexico, inhabited by the wealthy few, exists alongside a devastatingly poor Mexico where the majority of the population reside. Alejandro (Daniel Tovar) is part of the privileged minority. The teenager lives with his parents, Daniel (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and Mariana (Maribel Verdu) in La Zona, an enclosed neighbourhood in Mexico City monitored by closed-circuit cameras. Ruled by fear, the residents have essentially renounced their privacy and trapped themselves in an exclusive prison. However, when a group of disadvantaged teenagers manages to break into La Zona, the security blanket is threatened and the residents reveal how far they will go to protect their community.
One of the teenage burglars finds himself trapped in La Zona, fearing for his life. Alejandro discovers the fugitive hiding in his family’s basement and, unexpectedly, becomes torn between loyalty to his family and friends, and his empathy for a poor petty thief and suspected murderer. A bond develops between the two boys that forces Alejandro to question his picture-perfect community and his father, a prominent and respected figure in La Zona.
In this multi-layered drama with an ensemble cast, Pla provocatively explores the hypocrisy and cruelty of the upper-middle class. As the film progresses, this community shows its true colours. Pla weaves plot points to bring the characters together in a shattering final test of the connection between two unlikely allies. — Diana Sanchez.