A Cop Movie

In Mexico City two police officers, Teresa and Montoya, describe how they joined the force. Both were following an older relative at home; what they found was bribery, humiliation and a system in which nobody trusts anyone. If it stopped there it would be an ordinary documentary. It does not. Halfway through, the ground shifts: the Teresa and Montoya we have been watching are actors. Monica del Carmen and Raul Briones worked with the real officers for months to play them, then enrolled in the police academy for real to finish the job. The camera records that training too. The director's claim is plain: policing is already a performance, a costume you put on to play a part. Alonso Ruizpalacios directed. It premiered at the 71st Berlin Film Festival and won the Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for its editing, the award going to Yibran Asuad. The jury cited the way it blurs the line between fiction and reality. Netflix released it on 5 November 2021. Who it is for: anyone who likes documentaries that play with form, and Latin American cinema. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a verdict. The film reaches no judgment on policing, its structure will read as a trick to some viewers, and the last section is loose.