499
Directed by Rodrigo Reyes
2019Documentary88 minMexico
A 16th-century conquistador finds himself stranded in modern Mexico, meeting ordinary people still living with the wounds of colonization, in Rodrigo Reyes's bold hybrid.
Synopsis
In acclaimed director Rodrigo Reyes' (Lupe Under The Sun, Purgatorio) bold new feature, a 16th century conquistador finds himself stranded in modern day Mexico encountering real- life ordinary citizens whose lives have been upended in ways that the Conquistador could never have envisioned 499 years prior, when Mexico was colonized by men like him. Using an innovative and immersive mixture of fiction and non-fiction, and finding a way to weave to magical realist and verité elements, Reyes has crafted an audacious, staggering work examining the lingering effects of colonialism as well as providing a way for a country and it citizens to heal from centuries old wounds.
The director
Rodrigo Reyes
Rodrigo Reyes is a Mexican-American filmmaker whose work explores borders, history and identity. 499, a hybrid odyssey retracing the Spanish conquest of Mexico, premiered at Tribeca in 2020.
