Ixcanul

2015 1h 33m ES

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 91

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

María, a 17-year-old Kaqchikel Maya, lives with her parents on a coffee plantation at the foot of an active volcano. She is set to be married to the farm's foreman. But María longs to discover the world on the other side of the mountain, a place she cannot even imagine. And so she seduces a coffee-harvester who wants to escape to the USA. When this man leaves her behind, María discovers her own world and culture anew.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

María Mercedes Coroy
María
María Telón
Juana
Manuel Antún
Manuel
Justo Lorenzo
Ignacio
Marvin Coroy
El Pepe
Fernando Martínez
Policia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jayro Bustamante
Writers: Jayro Bustamante
Languages: Spanish
Countries: France, Guatemala, Netherlands, Switzerland

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

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: France, Guatemala, Netherlands, Switzerland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jayro Bustamante, shot by Luis Armando Arteaga. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

María Mercedes Coroy and María Telón and Manuel Antún carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt4135844 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jayro Bustamante directs. Luis Armando Arteaga behind the camera. Pascual Reyes scores. César Díaz cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Guatemala, Netherlands, Switzerland. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 11 years ago.
2International production across 4 countries: France, Guatemala, Netherlands, Switzerland.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jayro Bustamante, shot by Luis Armando Arteaga. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Pascual Reyes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor César Díaz shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7María Mercedes Coroy and María Telón and Manuel Antún carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt4135844 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 91 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Luis Armando Arteaga
Original score: Pascual Reyes
Editing: César Díaz
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Original language: ES
IMDB: Ixcanul (2015)

Awards

Platino Award for Best First Feature Film
Silver Mirror

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Jayro Bustamante

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-08-10
★ 7/10
Between the childhood and adulthood. The director's feature film debut. From Guatemala, selected to represent the Oscars in the previous year (2016), but did not make. The film was based on the real about a small Mayan family living closer to the active volcano slope working in the coffee plantation. A perfect depiction of hardship of life, but from the perspective of a teenager. The life between adulthood and childhood, and for the lack of the knowledge of the real world, how they are misled was the film's purpose. I liked the film, no question about that. But it did not start like that. I hate films showing cruelty towards animals. It does not matter livestock, wild animals or anything else. The exception is only for the nature documentaries which does not involve human. So it all started with a strong dislike for the film. I was not sure I about writing a review for it. But the film convinced me with the later parts. I was not expecting it. In the end, I felt a very good film became a just above average because of one bad sequence. The film follows the character Maria. The seventeen year old girl was promised to the one who works in the city. But she wants to leave the place, country to the United States. That's when she begins to have her sexual urge. Following that, she develops a relationship with a boy from the coffee plantation. The consequence is the bigger price she has to face. With numerous challenges, not just her, but the whole family should overcome it. So how they are prepared for it and other following struggles revealed in the remaining narration. ❝He's probably living in the United States in a big house with a garden, like those in the magazine. He must speak English by now.❞ The film highlights many things. One of those was how the poverty ridden, illiterate people are misguided. The indigenous Guatemalan people that showed in this film really amazed me. Okay, the girl made a mistake, but how her family reacted to it was a surprise to me. Being very cultured, I did not expect that. In fact, I thought it could turn into a thriller, particularly in its finale. But the entire film was a drama and finding a solution to solve the issue as the way it flows. Then comes the misconception which drags the family into more trouble. At that point of the narration, the film was close to the end. But an unexpected twist made its way. The part where desperation takes the front seat. With all the sudden, everything was resolved, but good or sad is to know, one must watch the film. Like the filmmaker, the casting was also new faces. The storyline seems simple, but where it sets in was the challenge the cast and crew excelled. The original title Ixcanul means volcano in Mayan language, but it is a force looking to explode is the correct definition, that's explained by the director. It is one of first Guatemalan films for me. I'm very impressed with the story, the performances, locations and the overall film. It is not just a film festival product, it is like any Hollywood or the rest of the world cinema that qualified to call a good film. So if you are watching lots of regular films and got bored, you can try this for a change. A different language, different setting, but a situation every culture, ethnic had seen, that now you can learn how it all confronted by these people. Just like the film 'Tanna', but not all the same. Excluding the opening part I complained about, this is a nice film to check it out. But I won't mention the word recommended! 7/10

Production companies