True/False Films

Those Who Remain

In person: co-director Carlos Hagerman

Odysseus left to travel the world. So what became of Penelope? Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman offer us the modern Mexican version of this untold story in their innovative, clear-eyed and moving film. In this survey of a Mexico increasingly splintered by the exodus of its husbands, fathers and sons to the U.S., Rulfo (In the Pit) and Hagerman use lush, gorgeous and sometimes wry footage of people and landscapes to create a panoramic view of agrarian Mexico. We see rodeo and chiseled farmers, quinceañeras and squabbles across the kitchen table, heartbreak and glorious reunions. With none of the sensationalistic imagery generally used to describe the border, Those Who Remain offers portraits that are genuine and affectionate, delivering the kind of earned emotion that Hollywood could only dream of. "It doesn't matter if we can't make ends meet," one girl, missing her father, tells us, "as long as we are together." (JS) Presented by University of Missouri Office of the Chancellor.

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