Un Certain Regard: “Los Bastardos” by Amat Escalante

Presented by Un Certain Regard, Los Bastardos is the second feature-length film by Amat Escalante. Sangre, which premiered at Un Certain Regard in 2005, was highly acclaimed as a first film. Los Bastardos is a radical change in register, an examination of what happens to the “illegals” who sneak across the border into the US. Hoping to reach Eldorado, they’ll resort to crime if they must.

Every morning, Fausto and Jesús hang around the bus terminal in Los Angeles, hoping to be hired as undeclared day laborers. The jobs are backbreaking and the pay is rotten, but the need to earn a little cash puts intense pressure on them. They’re in luck today, because they’ve found a job that pays a lot better. Instead of a shovel, they’ll be wielding a sawed-off shotgun…

Amat Escalante comments: “This film is about the worst tragedy that can happen to a human being or a country, to deliberately become a murderer. I don’t think it’s within human nature to commit a murder in cold blood. I’m convinced that resorting to an extreme like murder has to be the result of a breakdown of human nature. I insist absolutely on differentiating between killing in cold blood and killing in self-defense or for revenge. The last two forms of murder are not the primary motivations of the two characters in the film.”

Prior to the screening in the Salle Debussy, director Amat Escalante made the following remarks: “I’d like to thank the Festival for welcoming me here for a second time. Thanks to all of you for being here, too. I’m very happy to show you this film. It was a difficult undertaking, but we succeeded. I’d also like to thank the French police for the escort they gave my male lead. It’s a rare privilege for an actor. I hope you’ll like the film.”