The Beginning and the End

"Arturo Ripstein's Masterpiece"

1994 3h 7m ES

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 19

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The film tells the story of the Boteros, a middle-class Mexican family struggling against poverty after their father's death. Ignacia (Egurrola) is the Boteros mother, a desperate woman who chooses to sacrifice the destiny of her three older children, in order to protect Gabriel (Laguardia) the youngest one. She believes Gabriel will climb the social structure and bring back the lost fortune to the family. But destiny has other plans for the Boteros and tragedy will overcome eventually. Based on the novel of Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz.

“Arturo Ripstein's Masterpiece”

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Cast

Julieta Egurrola
Ignacia Botero
Ernesto Laguardia
Gabriel Botero
Bruno Bichir
Nicolás Botero
Lucía Muñoz
Mireya Botero
Alberto Estrella
Guama Botero
Verónica Merchant
Natalia
Luis Felipe Tovar
César
Blanca Guerra
Julia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Arturo Ripstein
Writers: Paz Alicia Garciadiego
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 187 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Arturo Ripstein, shot by Claudio Rocha. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lucía Álvarez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Editor Rafael Castanedo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Julieta Egurrola and Ernesto Laguardia and Bruno Bichir carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Arturo Ripstein's Masterpiece".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0110894 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Arturo Ripstein directs. Claudio Rocha behind the camera. Lucía Álvarez scores. Rafael Castanedo cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Mexico. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 187 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Arturo Ripstein, shot by Claudio Rocha. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lucía Álvarez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Rafael Castanedo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Julieta Egurrola and Ernesto Laguardia and Bruno Bichir carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Arturo Ripstein's Masterpiece".
8IMDB entry: tt0110894 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 19 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.