Sujo

Sujo is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez starring Juan Jesús Varela. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. It is a co-production between Mexico, the United States and France.

Premise
The film follows a young boy, Sujo, after his father, a member of a Mexican cartel, is assassinated, and the struggles of growing up without a father, and disassociating from the blood-soaked legacy that he inherits.

Plot
Josué, a sicario for the cartel, is assassinated, leaving his 4-year-old son, Sujo behind. Sujo's aunts, Nemesia and Rosalia, take him to be raised in a remote mountain shack. Sujo spends his childhood in isolation, with only his aunts and Rosalia's sons, Jai and Jeremy.

As the boys grow older, Sujo and his peers rebel and become involved with the drug violence around them. During a turf war, Jeremy is killed, and Sujo's aunt Nemesia sends him off to live in Mexico City.

Release
The film debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024.

Reception
Film critic Carlos Aguilar graded the film an 'A', citing the film as "intricate in meaning and scope."