Danzón

Maria Novaro's 1991 Mexican film follows Julia, a telephone operator in Mexico City. The one regular thing in her life is the danzon hall she goes to once a week and the partner she has danced with for years. When he disappears she travels to Veracruz to look for him. The film begins as a search and becomes something else. Julia does not find the man, but she learns for the first time what it means to spend time alone in a city. The women of the port town, a travesti performer and a young sailor make up the film's real ensemble. The rules of the danzon also shape the form: distance, rhythm and eye contact. Maria Rojo's performance is measured and warm. The film screened in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and is regarded as a turning point for the visibility of women directors in Mexican cinema. Who it's for: those who like Latin American cinema and quiet woman-centred narrative. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a distinct conflict; the film keeps its tension deliberately low.