#SXSW: LA MALA NOCHE

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Dana (Nöelle Schönwald) has been working as a prostitute to raise money to help with her daughter’s illness. When she sees a chance to break free from the mafia boss who exploits her, she takes her chance. But will she escape?

Director-Screenwriter Gabriela Calvache takes an unflinching look at human trafficking. She tells the story through Dana’s experiences: resorting to drugs to escape from her reality and being beaten whenever she doesn’t follow orders. Then there’s the world inside the mafia boss’s house, which houses many women from children to adults. Nöelle Schönwald carries the Film with intensity and shines brightest in the scenes leading up to the finale.

La Mala Noche screens at SXSW on March 9 at 4:45PM at Alamo Ritz 2, March 11 at 2PM at Alamo Lamar C, and March 14 at 10:45AM at Alamo Ritz 2.