‘Fauna’: He hides a friendly critique of the drug series in his comedy

The spectacular nature of the criminal world has been used extensively by the media, including art and television, for morbidity, attracting people who lose sensitivity with each violent image. ‘Wildlife’ is a Mexican film that looks like a comedy but hides an important critique of the drug series.

With Lázaro Rodríguez, Luisa Pardo and Francisco Barreiro, ‘Fauna’ It is a Mexican drama with undertones of comedy, but that doesn’t get carried away by its genre and reinvents its expectations, to send a message, while remaining fun and entertaining in equal parts.

‘Fauna’ is directed by Nicola Pereda, Mexican director with a career that has led him to film festivals such as Venice, Berlinale, Rotterdam and Toronto. Among his most important works are “El Palacio”, “Los Ausentes” and “Where are their stories?”.

The story tells the life of Lázaro, his sister Luisa and her boyfriend, Paco, in which the actors play themselves, of the meeting with their parents, in everyday life, without a clear plot, but with a goal. clear enough. However, there is a twist, which is worth seeing until the end.

‘Fauna’ and its internal reflection on drug traffickers

Director Nicolás Pereda uses the figure of Paco, played by actor Francisco Barreiro, who plays Francisco Arellano Félix in the Netflix series “Narcos: Mexico”. And this choice is particularly interesting, because in this character hides the criticism and the message of ‘Fauna’ about the figure of the drug trafficker.

If you want to criticize something, you do it from the inside, and that’s clear Nicola Peredabecause he uses Paco to reflect on the image of drug traffickers that has been created on television and in the cinema, as if his work is ennobled in the process, showing on the screen characters who have normalized the matter so much that it has now become a mere attraction.

However, the value of ‘Fauna’ lies not only in its message, but also in the way it is told, because when it wants to talk to you about its themes, it has already hooked you with a family story that anyone can feel identified with, using the laughter to empathize with his characters, and in the least expected moment, it becomes a David Fincher-style thriller.

But Nicolás Pereda plays his cards in a way where expectations are hardly ever met, and they make ‘Fauna’ something not predictable at all, with twists, jokes and important dramas. Almost totally guided by the directing work with his actors, who lead each scene, and the spectators are witnesses firsthand of each event.