TIFF 2021: Cadejo Blanco
Imperative EntertainmentMore often than not, one’s life circumstances are predetermined to where, when, and who they are born to. This is what Sarita (Karen Martínez) comes to discover as she delves deeper and deeper into life as a gang member. Justin Lerner’s Cadejo Blanco is a female-driven crime drama that dives into morality and revenge. After her sister Bea (Pamela Martínez) goes missing, Sarita infiltrates a gang and begins a rescue mission crossed with a quest for revenge, as she tries to find out the truth of what happened to her sister.
Sarita does not like to go clubbing, but is pressured into it by her sister Bea, as their grandmother will let them stay out longer if they’re together. Bea also wants to see her new boyfriend Andrés (Rudy Rodriguez), but she quickly gets into a fight with him and, in turn, lashes out at Sarita. Angry, Sarita leaves Bea behind and goes home, but the next morning Bea is not asleep in her bed. Believing Andrés to be involved in her sister’s disappearance, and with no help from the Guatemala City police, Sarita takes matter into her own hands and leaves for Puerto Barrios – taking advantage that she never met Andrés face-to-face at the club – and poses as Analu, infiltrating the gang in hopes to uncover the whereabouts of Bea.
Karen Martínez is the soul of Cadejo Blanco, giving an undeniably effective performance as Sarita. At first, her character is shy and reserved, she is innocent and unfamiliar with gang life, but unrelenting in her search for Bea. But as the film presses on, her character becomes more ruthless as she settles deeper into a life of crime – in fact, she seems suited for it. Sarita feels the pull between purely searching for her sister and the opportunity that gang life offers, she starts to not recognise herself the more she is immersed into the world of Puerto Barrios. This internal struggle that Sarita faces is translated in the film’s title Cadejo Blanco, and is a deep reflection on morality and compassion. In Guatemalan legend, a cadejo is a 4-legged wolfdog like creature that protects people from harm. Some believe that the white cadejo is the protector, while the black cadejo lures people into making bad decisions and, eventually, to their deaths. At crossroads moments, Sarita encounters shaggy dogs that can be interpreted as each cadejo: a symbol of the path she will choose.
Writer-director Justin Lerner brings such an authenticity to Cadejo Blanco. After spending years interviewing youth gang members in Puerto Barrios, he did acting workshops with many of them and cast them in the film. This provides a documentary-like feel to Cadejo Blanco. The actors were even able to adapt the screenplay during filming to ensure proper representation. Lerner also has an eye for great action sequences, but his direction truly excels during the film’s emotional beats, lingering on the actors’ faces. There are points where Cadejo Blanco goes a little too long, but it maintains its messaging and overall thrills.
Cadejo Blanco is a tale of survival, and bleeds authenticity with every frame. The film is a deep exploration of ingrained poverty, lack of opportunity, unrelenting crime, and the pull to freedom that gang life offers.