It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Ixcanul has stunning cinematography and is brimming with passion and originality, but it might not be the best choice in terms of cultural accuracy. While it is impressive that native Kaqchikel speakers were cast to give it an authentic, indigenous feel, the representation of the Kaqchikel people is not its best. I will not claim to be an expert on the topic, but after speaking with and reading a paper about the film written by a Kaqchikel woman, Ixcanul provides the in-depth view from an obvious outsider, one who hasn't done enough research. According to her, the Kaqchikel view all life as sacred and worthy of respect, so moments when María uses a tree as a sort of dildo and when she attempts to abort her fetus are wildly unrepresentative of the culture.Looking beyond these shortcomings, it is still a good tool for a superficial observation of Kaqchikel culture. While the baby kidnapping, arranged marriages, and belief in magic and superstition may be stereotypical, they still portray real aspects of some indigenous Central Americans' lives. The manipulation of Kaqchikel individuals because of their language barrier is indisputable, as is indigenous people's poverty and often impecunious plantation life. This may be the film's message—that we are treating cultures like the Kaqchikel unfairly, and perhaps the film's own inaccuracies reinforce that thought.These high and low points aside, the film is still attractive, with expert parallel framing with María and her mother in the bath, and again with María and el Pepe before they have sex. Its long, sweeping takes of María descending the volcano balance with the stills of locals hanging at a bar or with family (these scenes themselves seem almost like neoclassical paintings). The movie is masterfully executed and naturally aesthetically-pleasing in terms of camera-work and scenery, but as a means of storytelling it falls behind somewhat because of its imperfect perception of its own subject matter.

It was interesting to see the way the Mayans live. It really gives a foreign perspective about the rural peasants life. It is actually unbelievable to think that in the 21st century anyone would be living like the people in this movie. The overall lifestyle was surprising to me. The old fashioned way that the marriage was arranged in this movie surprised me. The way that that formed a bond between the two families was interesting. Also, the gender roles was very old fashioned. The entire lifestyle just seemed to be like a thousand years behind. The mother and daughter were very close to each other. They did everything together. They would even bathe together. The whole lifestyle just seemed dreadful. Day in and day out they did the same thing. The movie never showed anything they did for fun. It just seemed like a very primitive lifestyle, which I didn't think existed anymore. If the film had said it had taken place in the 1800s, I would've believed it.

There is an authentic feel that runs through-out this story of Indigenous people living in Guatemala. They are poor, uneducated, but they have a strong sense of attachment to each other. The mother's love for her daughter is ample proof of that. All the young people want to find a way out – to the U.S. They want to escape their exploitation and poverty. All of this is poignantly captured.The story centres on a young woman who can't seem to make up her mind as to what she wants. And maybe this is one of the films defects – I just found her too catatonic and so lacking in expression. It gives too much of a void to the viewer, although this may have been intentional. She imparts a great sadness to this film.And at times the film just lingers too long on certain scenes.Nevertheless in terms of setting and characters in a remote part of the world this is highly original.

WOW ! is the best movie and seen of all time , I fell in love this film because the plot is as sweet to my eyes because It is the best movie and seen in my entire life , besides this My film should be nominated for Oscar yet because it is a beautiful movie and no other film like this ! , and also the Users who do not pay the best rate is they do not know appreciate the true art of a very good movie and forever I will up port this movie because my I marvel this beautiful movie !also this movie is the best movie of Latin America and Spain , also contains a unique language in the world that is the Guatemalan Mayan languages ​​and that alone also the best education and the best sound