CHRONIC

The film "600 Miles" is about a Mexican teenager who has smuggled weapons across the border from the USA and the American ATF agent he has almost inadvertently kidnapped (Kristyan Ferrer and Tim Roth) find themselves sharing a long and dangerous drive through brutal terrain in this low-key but utterly absorbing thriller from writer/director Gabriel Ripstein. 

Ripstein (son of the veteran filmmaker Arturo) subverts the typical high-octane approach associated with the genre, and quietly makes a political point about the connection between laissez-faire US gun laws and the violence south of the border: the teenage Arnulfo and his buddy easily skirt what regulations exist in the USA to stockpile weapons for his trip south. 

Ripstein’s quasi-documentry style (his DP Alain Marcoen is known for his work with the Dardennes) strips away the mythology and allure around cartels; his shoot-outs are raw and chaotic—a far cry from choreographed action movie fare and all the more visceral for it. Ultimately this is a character piece about two individuals from different sides forced to connect under extreme duress. 

Winner: Best First Feature, Berlin; Best Mexican Film, Guadalajara 

Filmmaker(s) Attending: Director Gabriel Ripstein, Actor Tim Roth

DIRECTOR: Gabriel Ripstein 
Producer: Michel Franco, Moises Zonana, Gabriel Ripstein
Editor: Gabriel Ripstein, Santiago Pérez Rocha
Screenwriter: Gabriel Ripstein, Issa López
Cinematographer: Alain Marcoen
Principal Cast: Tim Roth, Kristyan Ferrer, Harrison Thomas, Noe Hernandez
Filmography: Debut Feature
Print Source: Pantalion