499 (film)

2020 film directed by Rodrigo Reyes

499

Theatrical poster

Directed by| Rodrigo Reyes
Written by| Rodrigo Reyes
Lorena Padilla
Produced by| Inti Cordera
Andrew Houchens
Starring| Eduardo San Juan Breña
Cinematography| Alejandro Mejía
Edited by| Andrea Chignoli
Daniel Chávez Ontiveros
Music by| Pablo Mondragón

Release date

* April 15, 2020 (2020-04-15) (Tribeca Film Festival)[1]

Running time

| 88 minutes
Countries|

* Mexico
* United States

Languages| Spanish
Nahuatl

499 is a 2020 docudrama film straddling documentary and fiction, directed by Rodrigo Reyes. The film is a creative exploration of the legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico, 500 years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.[2][3][4] The film had its international premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival,[5] where it won the best cinematography award in the documentary competition,[6] as well as winning the Special Jury Award at Hot Docs the same year. It also won the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Golden Frog Prize for Best Docudrama.[7]

499 has received support from several organizations, including Sundance Institute,[8] Tribeca Film Institute,[9] and the Mexican Film Institute.[10]

## Synopsis

[edit]

A Spanish conquistador is forced to return to modern Mexico and bear witness to the stories of victims of today's violence. Through surreal imagery and immersive storytelling, 499 explores the legacy of colonialism in contemporary Mexico, nearly five-hundred years after Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire.

## Release

[edit]

499 was shown at many film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020.[11]

* Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival[12]

* Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia[13]
* Portland International Film Festival[14]
* Sofia International Film Festival[15]
* International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam[16]
* The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage[17]

## Reception

[edit]

Director Jim Jarmusch wrote about the film "Rodrigo Reyes has created a strong, beautiful and disturbing film that seems to occupy a genre all its own... 499 deftly weaves brutality with tender beauty, and harsh reality with the realm of dreams."[18]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[19] Bobby LePire of Film Threat calls it "a spellbinding movie anchored by a reliable performance by Eduardo San Juan Breña..."[20]

Critic Carlos Aguilar reflects on the film as "a truly brilliant accomplishment of unconventional storytelling, form and theme coalesce to open a portal where textbook history becomes an active entity and clashes with the present for a forward-thinking exploration."[21]

The film won a Special Jury Prize from the Best International Feature Documentary award jury at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.[22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "499". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
2. ^ "Tribeca 2020: 12 Movies We Were Excited to See at This Year's Festival by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, Zack Sharf, Jude Dry, Tambay Obenson". April 14, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
3. ^ ""A Time-Traveling Conquistador Confronting Modern Mexicans": Rodrigo Reyes on His Tribeca and Hot Docs Selected 499 by Lauren Wissot". April 25, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
4. ^ "Tribeca Review: 499 is an Immersive, Evocative Exploration of Violence and Migration by John Fink". May 6, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
5. ^ "499". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
6. ^ "Tribeca Film Festival Awards 'The Half of It,' 'Socks on Fire' Top Honors by Chris Lindahl". April 29, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
7. ^ "ENERGACAMERIMAGE 2020 WINNERS!". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
8. ^ "Sundance Institute Supports New Documentary Projects". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
9. ^ "499 Years". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
10. ^ "Resultados de la Convocatoria para el Apoyo a la Producción y Postproducción de largometrajes de Ficción y Documental del Fondo para la Producción Cinematográfica FOPROCINE 2019". Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
11. ^ "499". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
12. ^ "Hot Docs Awards: Tribeca's 'Stray' Takes Top Jury Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. May 14, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
13. ^ "499". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
14. ^ "Portland International Film Festival". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
15. ^ "499". Retrieved June 17, 2021.
16. ^ "499". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
17. ^ "ENERGACAMERIMAGE 2020 WINNERS!". Retrieved June 24, 2021.
18. ^ "499 - The Cinema Guild". www.cinemaguild.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
19. ^ "499". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
20. ^ "499 by Carlos Aguilar". Retrieved March 12, 2023.
21. ^ Aguilar, Carlos. "499 movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
22. ^ Norman Wilner, "Prayer For A Lost Mitten, Stray win top awards at Hot Docs 2020". Now, May 19, 2020.

## External links

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* Official website
* 499 at IMDb
* 499 at Rotten Tomatoes