Parents' Guide to I Don't Expect Anyone to Believe Me

With only three films to his name, director Fernando Frias has created one of the most unapologetic, riveting bodies of work in contemporary cinema, capturing modern Mexico at its best and worst. In Rezeta, he focused on the fast life of a supermodel, in I'm No Longer Here, the plight of a young migrant, and in the masterful I Don't Expect Anyone to Believe Me, the byzantine process of trying to escape corruption. Dario Yazbek gives a stellar performance as the wide-eyed Juan Pablo, whose dreams of becoming a novelist seem to be shattered when he's unwillingly recruited to serve a criminal cartel while he attends grad school in Barcelona. Soon he realizes the horrific events that become his new normal might be the greatest source of literary inspiration, turning a thriller on its head as it becomes the darkest of satires.

Not for the faint of heart, and certainly not suitable for kids, I Don't Expect Anyone to Believe Me, is a violent, brainy thriller that combines genres and multilayered narratives deftly. Frias is at the top of his game, creating a film that entertains and illuminates (its commentary on colorism, racism, and colonialism is invaluable). At times it might feel too insular and erudite (the jokes about graduate studies almost turn into self-parody) but those willing to surrender to the film's pace and strange sense of humor will be rewarded with one of the best thrillers in recent years.