Dias de Gracia

The Mexican movie Dias de Gracia was shown at Cannes in 2011, and has just been released in France. That's perfect timing because the story is set in the "Days of Grace" when the main characters are so focussed on a soccer tournament they take their eye off the ball and stop concentrating on policing, crime, corruption, drugs and kidnapping. It's in these periods that things can change, and so the plot takes place in a series of flashbacks across the World Cups of 2002, 2006, and 2010.  It's a fast-paced, sometimes brutal film, and the plot jumps between the tournaments in a potentially disorienting way.  But if you stick with it, concentrate on the story and don't mind the violence, this one transcends its subject and hits home with some beautifully made points. 

At the Cannes Festival in 2011 I saw twenty-five movies, including some really fine works, but nothing moved me or impressed me as much as Everardo Gout's wonderful "Dias de Gracias". It's on limited release in France from June 13 2012.