'Days of Grace' Director Everardo Gout Shines Light on Violence in Mexico A. O. Scott - The New York Times
go to original July 24, 2015

Three stories taking place in Mexico City during three Soccer World Cup seasons four years apart are interwoven, and a cop, a hostage and a wife are radically changed. (Atlantic Film)

“Days of Grace,” the debut feature from Everardo Gout, a Mexican filmmaker with a background in music videos and television commercials, weaves together three stories of violence and corruption in Mexico City. Braided narratives are a way for directors both to show off their chops and to illuminate social issues and complex themes. Mr. Gout combines a slick, kinetic style with a somber ethical sense. His movie is flashy and entertaining, but also earnestly concerned with the collapse of trust and integrity at every level of society.

Though it may take a while to figure out what’s going on, the three plot lines take place during successive World Cups, in 2002, 2006 and 2010. At the center of each is a kidnapping, which produces opportunities for clever sleight-of-hand editing. Mr. Gout and his tremendously talented cinematographer, Luis David Sansans (whose credits include Alfonso Cuarón’s “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo+Juliet”), use different color schemes and aspect ratios to signal where we are in time. The music (by Nick Cave and Atticus Ross, among others) also changes, and soccer fans will be able to identify which high-stakes match is distracting the attention of various criminals, police officers and ordinary citizens.

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