Jose Juan Meraz Movies

A balladeer seeks the truth about the life and death of his outlaw brother in Mexican director Juan Antonio de la Riva's 2002 drama The Mountain Hawk. Musician Rosendo Nevarez (Guillermo Larrea) learns of his brother Gabriel's (Juan Angel Esparza) death in a remote spot in the Durango Mountains and decides to return to his boyhood home to learn more about his brother's untimely end. Gabriel, who was more widely known as The Mountain Hawk, led an outlaw's life which was either that of a lowly criminal or daring do-gooder, as accounts of the man's life vary depending on the point of view of the interviewee. As Rosendo digs deeper for the truth, it becomes apparent that Gabriel was a heroic figure worthy of the song his brother plans to write in his commemoration -- if only Rosendo can overcome his growing envy for his brother's immortal status as a swashbuckling rebel. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

A deluded woman is torn between her family and the man she loves in this dark drama from Mexican filmmaker Jaime Humberto Hermosillo. Aurora (Maria Rojo) is a middle-aged woman whose obsessive love for famous singer Andres (Rogelio Guerra) led to a brief tryst that left her with child. Many years later, her son Mauricio (Tizoc Arroyo), an aspiring filmmaker, is suffering from deep depression, and Aurora travels to be near him after he attempts suicide. While Aurora's love for Andres has not faded with time, despite his lack of interest in her, the realities of Mauricio's condition force her to look to her son's needs. When Mauricio asks his mother to play the leading role in his first film, she agrees, but the story she wants to put on videotape is not Mauricio's screenplay, but an open letter to Andres. Dos Auroras (aka Two Auroras) received its American premier at the 2005 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi