Prayers For The Stolen (2021)(15)
A From Page To Screen Fringe Event
Set in a remote mountain village in Mexico, Prayers for the Stolen follows the lives of three young girls as they grow up in a region controlled by drug cartels. Ana and her friends navigate a world where being a girl comes with constant danger, forcing them to adopt new identities and survival tactics.
Adapted from Jennifer Clement’s novel, this visually stunning and deeply moving film explores themes of resilience, friendship and the loss of childhood innocence. Directed by Tatiana Huezo, it won Un Certain Regard – Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival and has been widely praised for its haunting beauty and powerful storytelling.
Dir. Tatiana Huezo, Mexico 2021, 111 mins. Spanish (with English subtitles). With Ana Cristina Ordóñez González, Mayra Batalla.
Certificate 15
Reviews
★★★★★
This is an extraordinary, haunting first fiction feature... It captures the wary, precarious nature of a community that relies financially on the same forces – the rampaging drug cartels – that also terrorise it. Huezo taps into the intense vibration between young female friends who treasure each other above all else.
A complex, subtle, tender and heart-rending story.