Miss Bala
Encyclopedia
Miss Bala is a 2011 Mexican drama film
written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
. The film has been selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 84th Academy Awards
.
, she dreams of participating in a beauty pageant with her best friend Suzu. Their plans take a nasty turn in a gangland disco
. Laura is in the bathroom when armed men slip over the wall and start firing on the dancers, leaving a bloodbath
behind them. As an eyewitness, she’s kidnapped by the hitmen
. Her ravishing looks may be what saves her life because instead of killing her, the inscrutable drug lord
Lino (Noe Hernandez) forces "the skinny girl" to become a driver and drug runner for the gang
.
From that moment on, the film’s pace races through events in a chain of escalating violence, tension, smoke and gunfire. The gang lords appear to control the police but not the American DEA
agents who are their implacable enemies. They speed through Baja
in SUV
s and huge trucks full of corpses as the action shifts unexpectedly, leaving the viewer uncertain what will happen next. To save her father and brother, Laura lets Lino tape wads of money around her tiny waist. She gets past U.S.
border police
and is flown in a small plane to a rendezvous with Lino’s American cohort (James Russo), who sends her back with fresh weapons and ammo. But someone has betrayed them, and when Laura arrives in Baja, trouble is waiting for her.
, was arrested with suspected gang members in a truck filled with munitions
outside Guadalajara, Jalisco
. The film suggests her pageant victory was blatantly fixed by criminal elements.
, Miss Bala was critically acclaimed.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
. The film has been selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as...
.
Plot
From the very first shot, the story is told through the eyes of the innocent Laura Guerrero (Stephanie Sigman). A tall, willowy girl from a poor family in TijuanaTijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, she dreams of participating in a beauty pageant with her best friend Suzu. Their plans take a nasty turn in a gangland disco
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. Laura is in the bathroom when armed men slip over the wall and start firing on the dancers, leaving a bloodbath
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
behind them. As an eyewitness, she’s kidnapped by the hitmen
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
. Her ravishing looks may be what saves her life because instead of killing her, the inscrutable drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
Lino (Noe Hernandez) forces "the skinny girl" to become a driver and drug runner for the gang
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
.
From that moment on, the film’s pace races through events in a chain of escalating violence, tension, smoke and gunfire. The gang lords appear to control the police but not the American DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
agents who are their implacable enemies. They speed through Baja
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
s and huge trucks full of corpses as the action shifts unexpectedly, leaving the viewer uncertain what will happen next. To save her father and brother, Laura lets Lino tape wads of money around her tiny waist. She gets past U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
border police
Border control
Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...
and is flown in a small plane to a rendezvous with Lino’s American cohort (James Russo), who sends her back with fresh weapons and ammo. But someone has betrayed them, and when Laura arrives in Baja, trouble is waiting for her.
Cast
- Stephanie Sigman as Laura Guerrero
- Irene Azuela as Jessica Berlanga
- Miguel Couturier as General Salomón Duarte
- Gabriel Heads as Agent Bell
- Noe Hernandez as Lino Valdez
- James RussoJames RussoJames Vincent Russo is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 90 films in three decades.-Early life:...
as Jimmy - Jose Yenque as Kike Camara
Real life incident
Miss Bala is loosely based on a real incident, in which 2008’s Miss Sinaloa, Laura ZúñigaLaura Zúñiga
Laura Elena Zúñiga Huizar is a Mexican model and beauty queen, center of a drug trafficking scandal in December of 2008...
, was arrested with suspected gang members in a truck filled with munitions
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
outside Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
. The film suggests her pageant victory was blatantly fixed by criminal elements.
Reception
Upon its release at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
, Miss Bala was critically acclaimed.
See also
- List of submissions to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Mexican submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film