I WILL FOLLOW // A FILM REVIEW OF "IDENTIFYING FEATURES (SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES)"
First time director Fernanda Valendez brings an achingly powerful and dynamic view into the border/migration crisis in the new film IDENTIFYING FEATURES (SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES). Having wowed audiences at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival (where it won two awards), IDENTIFYING FEATURES can now be seen by a larger audience. Our window in is through Magdalena (Mercedes Hernández), a Mexican woman who is desperately trying to find her son Jesús after he leaves for America with his friend Rigo. He disappears crossing the border from Guanajuato to America and now she wants to find him and bring him home. She refuses to believe he may be gone, even after the Police identify Rigo's body. Since there is no sign of Jesús, she latches onto hope.
She follows his path as a detective would, picking up clues along her way. From the Police station to a migrant shelter and a shady bus station she eventually meets Miguel (David Illescas), a man who has been deported and is now coming back to Mexico. They come together by luck but their common goal of finding their families keep them together. Acting as a surrogate to each other, they cling to the hope that they will find answers, one way or another.
Valandez has crafted a meditative and somber film, one that will keep you talking about it long after the final credits have rolled. She often uses little dialogue and her shots are filled with noises from the outside world surrounding her characters, insisting on being heard and demanding to be seen. Mercedes Hernández is wonderful, bringing an aching pain to her performance. Her "stop at nothing attitude" is evident with every single step she takes and she showcases Magdalena emotions, both heartbreak and power, remarkably. David Illescas also turns in a wonderfully understated performance and they both help make IDENTIFYING FEATURES (SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES) a triumphant film, one that speaks volumes about one of the most incredibly important topics happening today. I, for one, am thrilled to see what Fernanda Valendez will bring to life next and am thankful that this film can add to the much needed conversation of the migration crisis.
GRADE: A
WRITTEN BY Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez DIRECTED BY Fernanda Valandez STARRING Mercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela, Ana Laura Rodríguez. NOW PLAYING IN SELECT THEATRES AND ON THE KINO LORBER DIGITAL CINEMA PLATFORM. Click HERE for more info and showtimes.