Rather than talking about what it takes to get to the other side of the border, Identifying Features instead focuses its attention back home. It’s part of the reason why the film actually highlights how difficult this actually is– Before even reaching it, people hoping to enter America go through a dangerous journey, many of whom disappear without any resolution for the loved ones left behind. But in focusing on what happens back behind the border, the social issue drama becomes more compelling, as the mystery of what happened to the son that left easily strikes a cord and drives the plot forward rather than straightforwardly talking about the journey. As she does so, writer-director Fernanda Valadez sets a spine-tingling mood, with striking, cryptic shots paired with the sober, difficult explanations the loved one who have been left behind with her have tried to formulate. Sin Señas Particulares captures that painful story in such a bold and thoughtful debut.
"Magdalena is a woman driven by her need for answers, and while "Identifying Features" doesn't provide all of them, it offers a rich window into the search for the truth."
— Kate Erbland
"Identifying Features peels back that feel-good façade of the 'coming to America' narrative for a much more painful reality, one that feels freshly steeped in tears, heartache, and headlines."
— Monica Castillo
Magdalena makes a journey to find her son, who has disappeared on his way to the Mexican border with the United States. Her odyssey takes her to meet Miguel, a man recently deported from the US. They start to travel together, Magdalena looking for her son, and Miguel hoping to see his mother again.
Having not heard from her teenage son Jesus, who hoped to cross the United States border for work, impoverished mother Magdalena embarks on a dangerous journey to locate him, despite the authorities convinced of his death.
The cinematography. Claudia Becerril Bulos’ striking shots will stick with many long after watching.
Heartbreaking.
