Gimme Power

Fernando Sariñana's 2000 Mexican film follows a film director, robbed again and again, who loses faith in the police and goes after the criminal network himself. He gathers evidence with his camera; as the investigation advances it emerges that the police are part of it. The film opened in the election year that ended decades of single-party rule and aimed directly at the argument about corruption at the time; a popular film in this register was unusual in Mexico. The story swings between comedy and thriller and those transitions do not hold everywhere. Demián Bichir's performance is good. The ending is too optimistic. Who it's for: viewers who like Mexican cinema and political satire. Who it's not for: anyone wanting measured storytelling, or who would rather not watch without the political context.