Juan Carlos Garcia
Reform Agency
Wednesday March 17, 2021 | 08:46
Mexico City – Stories of crimes, injustice and abuse in Ciudad Juárez are thousands, but there are also those that, despite all the pain they insist, lead to hope; this is the case with Luchadoras.
This documentary feature by Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim, whose world premiere will be next Wednesday at the South By Southwest Festival 2021, represents to the co-director a portrayal of machismo rooted in Mexico and the desire of women to overcome a destiny that only paints them a fatality.
“A friend went to live in Ciudad Juárez, she is a Lucha Libre fan. Through her we started to get to know a different view of the city. It’s a super powerful sport with a huge audience. We thought we could find stories for to tell.
“We left and we were there, we found the protagonists. Juárez is very complex, very interesting, there is a lot of power struggles, it is a violent way of life and there are movements that seek change despite fear,” said Calvo from his hometown. in Germany.
Paola was born in Caracas, lived in Mexico City for a while, and grew up in Barcelona, a population she left to pay for her film studies at non-stratospheric prices, and managed to do in Berlin. He lived there for a few years and there he found co-production for this episode.
The feature film follows Lady Candy, Baby Star and Mini Little Mermaid, who face similar problems in their parallel universes, such as male disdain for being female and lack of decent wages for a decent life.
The director went from fear to euphoria in the conversation when she mentioned Ciudad Juárez. He says he finds it shocking that despite the femicides that are being experienced, this situation has not stopped and, above all, that the inhabitants live in fear, although many of them appreciate the benefits of the border population. .
“It is something that does not fit in my head, that talking about ‘Las Muertas de Juárez’ is already commonplace, from the day it should not even exist,” argued the filmmaker.
In just under two hours, Luchadoras summarizes the Stations of the Cross in which the protagonists live, not only because of their profession, but also because one cannot see their children because their father forbids it, another resides in a highly conflicted area and another, violence and desolation, she felt devastated when she returned to live with her parents.
Yes, Lady Candy is a funeral director and finds comfort in sports for her grief; Baby Star puts on the mask to fight, inspired to give her daughter a better life; and Lady Little Mermaid works in the maquila, but does not have enough support for her mother’s medical treatment.
“We bond with the three of them, they’re super excited about what’s happening with the documentary. They saw each other on TV and shouted, ‘Aaaay, we were on TV!’ There was affinity, understanding for their story.
“We are already finishing the documentary and ready to show it. I can’t believe we are presenting it at the world premiere and I want people to see it anywhere, on their computer, on their mobile, on their screen. It’s very rare to be at your place with a world premiere, but now! Everyone needs to see wrestlers, “Calvo exclaimed.
This film was shot in Chihuahua in late 2019 and early 2020. A lot has changed since then: everyone has adapted to the pandemic and worked from home; Omar, Baby Star’s tailor, has passed away from Covid-19; and one of them has been through other situations that give rise to a different story.