The long opening shot of two lifeless intertwined bodies in a truck, ending with one of the men being hanged, suggests that we’d better get ready for more images of violence. But the next scenes are drawn from the simple life of a young worker, his wife and child, who live in a solitary house on the distant periphery of town together with Heli’s father and young sister Estela. We are in a region known for its conflicts between police and the drug mafia, and the sister’s pubescent love for a young police officer unleashes the horrifying wave of violence that precedes the opening shots. A film that immerses itself in the vicious cycle of drugs and violence, culminating in an unbearable scene of torture, Heli has evoked much controversy. The director has been accused of nihilism, but the Cannes jury nevertheless decided to give him the Best Director award. Slow shots of the countryside and the character’s environment, and a tendency towards absurd humor contrasting with realistic depictions of bestial cruelty, betray the influence of Carlos Reygadas, for whom Amat Escalante worked as an assistant and who helped produce his first films.