Jesús López

Countless films have been made about grief, but the new film by Maximiliano Schonfeld avoids conventions and turns that sorrow into a disquieting tale. Jesús López, a promising race pilot, dies in a motorcycle crash. His cousin Abel, a lonely, aimless young man, starts inhabiting his deceased relative’s spaces –he moves in with his uncle and aunt, occupies his room, starts dressing like him, hang out with his friends, attends shows and motorcycle gatherings, and even approaches Jesus’ ex-girlfriend. The mimicry reaches unsuspected boundaries. In his new fiction feature and the first one co-scripted with writer Selva Almada, the director reaffirms his ability to build atmospheres as mysterious and hypnotic as the characters themselves. “As long as we keep remembering you, you will never die,” says a man during a tribute to the deceased racer. A fixed expression or, in Jesús López, a declaration of principles.