La zona (The Zone) (DVDrip - 2007)

Residents of an enclosed neighborhood in the middle of Mexico DF are shocked by a violent crime, and for one resident in particular, young Alejandro, the drama is ratcheted up when he encounters the lone kid who escaped the event and is hiding out within the neighborhood's borders.






La Zona is one of those rare films which grips you from the start and doesn't let go till the end credits roll up. It is also a rare example of a thriller and social drama which delivers on both fronts.

La Zona are residential compounds in Mexico for the rich and the affluent. They have their own security system and guards and even law, thus separating them from the normal law of the land. These "zones" are real and do exist in Mexico city. The one depicted in the film is separated from the slum neighbourhood by large concrete walls and barbed wire. An accident causes one of the power pylons next to the Zone to collapse thus paving an entry for three young petty thieves from the slums to enter the Zone to make a quick burglary. Things go wrong, however, and two of the boys are shot dead while the third manages to escape from the burgled house but not from the zone.

We then follow the search for the boy, by the residents (who intend to kill him) and the cops, who are mostly corrupt ready to turn a blind eye for the right sum. The Zone is a superbly tense thriller and a damning indictment of the social system in Mexico. The residents in these zones appear to be totally cut off from the reality outside; a nice contrast is a golf course inside the Zone from which the players get a panoramic view of the slums.

It is hard to believe that this is the feature debut of its director Rodrigo Pla. It's one of the most accomplished feature debuts that I have ever seen and you can be certain that Rodrigo Pla's name is going to be much better known in the coming years. IMDB comment






Mexico. Trois adolescents des quartiers pauvres pénètrent dans l'enceinte de La Zona, une cité résidentielle aisée, entourée de murs et protégée par un service de sécurité privé. Ils s'introduisent dans l'une des maisons, mais le cambriolage tourne mal. Plutôt que de prévenir les autorités, les résidents décident de se faire justice eux-mêmes. Une chasse à l'homme sans pitié commence...




Rodrigo Pla, de origen uruguayo pero residente en México desde niño, pinta en 'La zona' un barrio privado de México protegido por barreras, guardias armados y cámaras de vigilancia. Del otro lado de sus murallas, el otro mundo, mísero, ignorado y temido. Cuando una brecha se abre y permite la incursión de tres jóvenes pobres a esa fortaleza de opulencia, la violencia se desencadena y la caza al hombre empieza.