Miss Bala - DVD

Content: 23-year-old Laura Guerrero (Stephanie Sigman) lives with her father Ramón (Javier Zeragova) and younger brother Arturo (Juan Carlos Galván) in simple circumstances in Tijuana. As close as the American border is, the dream of breaking out of an everyday life dominated by the daily struggle against poverty is also a big one. Entering a beauty pageant seems like the perfect way to get a little closer to fulfilling that dream. Although Laura and her friend Suzu (Lakshmi Picazo) manage to get into the Miss Baja California contest, their dream quickly turns into a nightmare. Because when the two young women want to celebrate their participation in the evening, the club is raided by the criminal La Estrella around the gangster boss Lino Valdez (Noé Hernández). Laura manages to escape and thinks she is safe. But when she goes to the police to find out what happened to Suzu, she falls into Lino's hands. And he has his very own plans for the young woman - plans that Laura must agree to if she doesn't want anything to happen to her family...

With Miss Bala, director Gerardo Naranjo has staged a powerful and extremely gripping mixture of drama and thriller, which is so intense because the viewer follows the events almost directly from the point of view of an inherently uninvolved and innocent person. Laura doesn't belong to the gangsters, nor to the police, she is just a simple girl and therefore much more tangible for the viewer. Watching her get drawn deeper and deeper into the struggle between the drug cartel and the police, watching the grip of corruption and violence tighten around her without her being able to do anything about it, is not only depressing but also extremely suspenseful.

Naranjo pleasantly dispenses with any form of cliché. His view of a world in which fear and death seem omnipresent is not one of grand sensationalism, but rather one of almost matter-of-fact realism. At the same time, he manages to make it palpable that alongside all the poverty, all the corruption and all the crime, there is also a constant glimmer of hope that defines the lives of people like Laura. It is the hope for a better life that drives her forward and makes her persevere, which makes many a twist in the story seem all the more intense.

Miss Bala is entertainment cinema at quite a high level. Certainly not particularly light fare, not a thriller for a casual and relaxed DVD evening. Rather, it's a moving and extremely compelling drama that grips mercilessly after just a few minutes and doesn't let go of the viewer quickly, even after the credits roll. If you're looking for an authentic drug cartel thriller and appreciate sophisticated arthouse cinema, don't miss this film. Absolutely worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The technical realization of the film captures the atmosphere of the story very well. The very clean image looks very authentic in terms of its coloration and allows even smaller details to show up well, especially in the brighter scenes. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix complements the clearly intelligible mixed dialogue with some coherent ambient noise and sound effects such as squealing tires or gunfire to create an atmospheric whole. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, the DVD has no extras to offer except for the trailer.

Conclusion:Miss Bala is a gripping and poignant drama that lets the viewer literally experience the events from the point of view of the main character. A gloomy and depressing film, but also always resonates with hope. A strong leading actress and some particularly intense scenes ensure that this film remains in the memory for a long time. The fact that the DVD doesn't have any extras worth mentioning is a pity, but doesn't really have a negative impact due to the high quality of the main film. For all lovers of sophisticated dramas this disc is then also: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp