Panamerican Machinery


Panamerican Machinery is a 2016 Mexican-Polish absurdist comedy-drama film directed by Joaquin del Paso and written by Del Paso & Lucy Pawlak. Starring Javier Zaragoza, Ramiro Orozco, and Irene Ramirez. The film was named on the shortlist for Mexican's entry for the Academy Award for [Best International Feature Film] at the 89th Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

Synopsis

It seems like any other Friday at Maquinaria Panamericana S.A., a company specializing in the sale and repair of construction and destruction machinery. The employees prepare for the coveted weekend, wasting time on little rituals and routines, until an unexpected twist snaps them out of their peaceful monotony. Don Alejandro, the owner of the company, is found dead in a spare parts warehouse. The discovery changes everything: the company is bankrupt, the senior workers have no job prospects, and no one will receive compensation for their work. In a state of confusion, fear, and sadness, the workers decide to lock themselves in the company.

Cast

The actors participating in this film are:
  • Javier Zaragoza as Jesús Carlos
  • Ramiro Orozco as Ignacio
  • Irene Ramirez as Soledad
  • Edmundo Mosqueira as Celestino
  • Delfino López as Delfino
  • César Panini as Golden Boy
  • Javier Camacho as Rubio
  • Israel Ruiz as Tonatiuh
  • Regina DuPacci as Arancha
  • Cecibon Garcia
  • Maricarmen Piña
  • Hilario Vega
  • Tania Canciolla
  • Efrén Esquivel
  • Franco Legorreta
  • Pedro Barbosa
  • Eduardo Castrejón

Release

The film had its international premiere on February 14, 2016, at the Berlin International Film Festival. It was commercially released on June 9, 2017, in Mexican theaters.

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 11 critics' reviews are positive.
Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Modern Times and Bunuel apart, there’s a little of a lot of things in Panamerican Machinery. Absurdist, grotesque Lynchian comedy, as with the employer who strikes the ground with a metal rod in search of burst pipes, rubs up against the air of ‘70s countercultural protest movies, when anything went and when the satire wasn’t as subtle as it is today, and even with Lord of the Flies, as the staff considers murdering an intruder." Lucero Solórzano from the newspaper Excélsior wrote: "Panamerican Machinery portrays a very current reality in our country, mired in labor, political, social and economic conflicts that deeply affect morale, undermine hope and cause collective instability... It's a bewildering, hypnotic film, with a sense of humor that at times feels ruthless, but portrays who we are in the here and now."

Accolades