Sundance Review: ‘Son of Monarchs’
Alexis Gambis’ Son of Monarchs, which screened in the NEXT category at the Sundance Film Festival on 29th January 2021, is a unique story that explores the constant deaths and rebirths of life. The film goes all about duality: past and present, here and there, evolving or staying the same. It is filled with beautiful images and takes the viewer on a journey through the protagonist’s passion towards monarch’s butterflies unwittingly exposes subjects like self-recognition and self-empowerment. However, due to the slow paced nature of the film, it is not guaranteed to satisfy the wants of all types of audiences.
The story follows a Mexican biologist Mendel (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) living in New York City who, after the sudden death of his grandmother, returns to his hometown in Michoacán to attend the funeral ceremony. Here, he meets many of his family members after several years. The trip forces him to confront past traumas and reflect on his new hybrid identity, launching him on a personal and spiritual metamorphosis.
Through the lenses of a microscope – director, Alexis Gambis – exquisitely reveals to the audience not only the details of the monarch’s butterfly wings, but also, the intimate details of Mendel’s personality disorders and childhood traumas. Then, the lenses zoom out and the film goes macro into strong social issues like immigration and difficult family relationships. It also reflects on the issue of immigration, and engages in a wider conversation about identity, social pressures, culture and the strangeness of the world that we live in today. As a viewer it may elicit some kind of inner personal response in certain audiences, and lead them to question how our real world functions connect.
Tenoch Huerta Mejía does an admirable job in the lead role and his performance is quite eye-opening. The emotions he is able to convey leap out and grab the viewers by the heart and really make them feel something. Supporting actors like Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez and Alexia Rasmussen also deliver equally impressive performances. On the other hand, the script doesn’t really do much for the complex story with its meaty themes and material. The conflict of why Mendel left his home in Mexico in the first place is scattered throughout the film, with minimal interaction with the family members, including in the past where these clefts developed.
All in all, Son of Monarchs is definitely a quite unique voice from the director with poetic imagery that intertwines all the characters, thoughts and events. Despite the aforementioned qualities, it could have been better in terms of writing. Audiences who enjoy thought-provoking films will definitely enjoy this one. – Nabeel Zaman
Eight for Silver premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021.