What would you do if you and your friend were taking a road trip down Baja and stumbled upon a guy who claimed to be from another planet? Better yet, what if he looked just like Club de Cuervos‘ Luis Gerardo Méndez? If you’re Violeta and Emilia (played by Camila Sodi and Tessa Ia), you give the cute, bearded weirdo a ride and engage him in deep discussions about life and love as you admire the beautiful vistas around you. That’s the short version of the premise behind Humberto Hinojosa‘s latest film, Camino a Marte.
In case the wordplay in the title hadn’t you clued you in, there is a love story brewing in this heady, funny, road trip movie. For you see, Mark (Méndez) starts falling for Emilia – a surprising turn of events since his mission is to destroy Earth and rid it of its most insidious virus: humankind and its penchant for love. Oh, and to further complicate things, you should know that Emilia had embarked on this trip with Violeta because she wanted to live out her final days (she suffers from a terminal illness) in peace with the person closest to her.
The first trailer for this Mexican film from the director of Paraíso perdido and I Hate Love shows just how funny and touching and otherworldly this Y tu mamá también-gone-romantic, sci-fi pic looks. The film has a naturalistic vibe that makes it feel like a documentary, with plenty of shots showing both actresses merely inhabiting the BFF roles they’re playing on screen as they drive, talk, and enjoy themselves in stunning beachside landscapes. But, wearing a biker’s outfit (helmet included) and capturing the unnerving quirkiness of his character, it’s Méndez who you’ll be watching the entire time. Whether he’s absentmindedly eating Twizzlers, climbing atop the car to communicate with his home planet, or being mesmerized by a horse, the actor looks wholly committed to this most unusual of roles. But don’t take our word for it: take a look at the full trailer for Camino a Marte (literally, “on the road to Mars” but when pronounced in Spanish it also sounds like you’re saying “road to loving you”) below.
Camino a Marte is playing at the 2017 Los Cabos Film Festival.