After watching the trailer (below) for Gerardo Naranjo’s Mexican Miss Bala, I immediately wanted to see the film. I mean, yes, to be fair, in school I do study the portrayal of Mexico in film. And yes, I do have specific interest in the portrayal of the Mexican Drug War (thanks in part to my undying love of the author turned screenwriter Cormac McCarthy). But still, the trailer made Laura, a young, beautiful contestant for the Miss Baja California Beauty Pageant accidentally turned drug mule for the biggest Mexican cartel, look downright bad-ass, like a Lara Croft meets Run Lola Run in the face of the Mexican Drug War and Mexican organized crime. I just had to see it!

And so I did. What I was left with, though, was less of a fun, action-y take on a very serious, yet overwhelming subject, and more of a tale of how easy it is to become involved in this not-so-secret underworld and how difficult it is to escape once you’re in it. With Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna serving as producers to the film, it makes sense that this wasn’t the action film I had hoped for. Instead, it tried to paint a realistic picture of Laura and how easily your life can turn in the face of this unstoppable war.

Aside from feeling a little misled, I left the theater knowing I had just viewed a good film. Stephanie Sigman, who played the lead character Laura, did a very good job, especially considering the task. Many moments I was left frustrated at how seemingly passive Laura appeared to be, only to realize that her job was to show how degraded life currently is in the face of this war, and so this depiction is a sadly realistic one.

Miss Bala‘s story, written by Naranjo as well as Mauricio Katz, was a fast paced one which was to the benefit of the film. Because it was quick moving, the audience could fully see how Laura reacted in a variety of scenarios. And not to be overlooked, the unknown Noe Hernandez who played Lino, the head of the biggest cartel in Mexico, gave a truly terrifying as well as electrifying performance.

Don’t be misled from the trailer, but Miss Bala is definitely worth the time to see.

SEE IT.