Officer Blanca Bravo arrives in Juarez, Mexico — a grim nexus of corporate colonialism and sexual tourism — to investigate a rash of killings targeting female migrant workers. But with no help from the locals, bringing the responsible parties to justice becomes a frustrating exercise. As Bravo rails against indifference and local corruption, she finds herself on a collision course with Mickey Santos, a Mexican mogul with a taste for young prostitutes.
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Nate H. reviewed Backyard (2009)
Review from the comment
When a movie attempts to open eyes to a grim situation, its all the more worse when it ends up being a bad film. Backyard focuses on the murders of women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico beginning in the late 90’s and continuing on to present day. The real life death toll has been estimated from 400-5000, the disparity showing the difference in between what the government has released and what the public says is the truth. It is no doubt a horrific matter in which numerous movies, books, songs, and other media have chronicled. Backyard is a fictional account of the investigation into the ongoing killings and the political turmoil which has followed. It suffers early on, as a slow start never really takes off and a plethora of characters are introduced we never really grow to care about. The continuity is confusing at times and when the curtains close, one can’t help but feel like he has been taken on a mile long swim that only went an inch deep. Ultimately, Backyard tries to cover too many aspects of the murders and fallout from them and fails to shed efficient light on any of them.