The Mexican-Polish drama and psychological thriller The Hole in the Fence (2021), also known as El Hoyo en la Cerca in its original Spanish language, is an exposure to the fault lines and schisms of contemporary Mexican society.
In the movie, set at a secluded exclusive summer camp in the Mexican countryside, boys from a prestigious private school receive physical, moral, and religious training to turn them into tomorrow’s elite under the watchful eyes of their adult guardians. The discovery of a hole in the fence sets in motion a chain of disturbing events as the boys devolve into a Lord of the Flies-like mob mentality that creates and spreads hysteria in this profoundly disturbing coming-of-age drama that unravels like a horror movie while drawing on actual events. – Taken from the official synopsis of the movie.
This is the new movie produced and directed by Joaquin del Paso, who is also the co-writer together with Lucy Pawlak, the same team that brought the awards-winner comedy drama Panamerican Machinery (2016).
The cast in The Hole in the Fence (2021) is formed by Valeria Lamm, Lucciano Kurti, Eric David Walker, Yubah Ortega, Santiago Barajas Hamue, Giovanni Conconi, Adolfo Osorio, Carlos Morett, Joaquín Mcarthy, José Manuel Vázquez, Gabriel Fritsch, Patrick Mcarthy, Diego Lozano, and Dimitry Osmanchuk.
The movie had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2021, where it was nominated Venice Horizons Award for Best Film, the Queer Lion for Best Direction, and won the Bisato d’Oro for Best Cinematography (Alfonso Herrera Salcedo). After that, it was also part of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Warsaw Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Splat!FilmFest Horror Film Festival, Munich International Film Festival, and Americana Film Fest where it collected more awards and nominations.
ICS has called the movie “A terrifying psychological drama […] Voyages to the darkest depths of the human condition“, and Eye For Film considered it “A moody meditation of the poisons of privilege“.
Altered Innocence has the North American distribution rights for The Hole in the Fence (2021) and has set it for a digital release together with an opening at the Laemmle Theaters in L.A. (and more dates to come) on May 26, 2023.
Watch the official trailer here.
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