CineLatino: Xquipi' Guie'dani (Guie’dani's Navel, El ombligo de Guie’dani)

Directed by Xavi Sala (Mexico, 2019)

Part of the Fall 2021 CineLatino Series

September 24, 2021

Trailer

Guie'dani's Navel - Trailer with English subtitles

Synopsis

Guie’dani is dragged to Mexico City by her mother to help her work as a housekeeper for an upper-middle-class family. There, the subtle psychological subjugation inflicted by the white family functions as a metaphor for the oppression of Indigenous people in Mexico. Guie’dani rejects the life of servitude and seeks her own identity through a friendship with another rebellious teen.

A striking contrast to Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, Guie’dani’s Navel is a unique coming-of-age narrative exploring the racism inflicted on Indigenous people in Mexico, and the empowerment of a new generation that refuses to accept it silently. 119 minutes. Spanish and Zapotec with English subtitles.

“Catharsis fails and leads to a much more bitter and plausible resolution.” – Leonardo García Tsao, Diario La Jornada

The Spanish Film Club series was made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.