The Crow’s Nest

(Malacrianza)
Arturo Menéndez | Comedy, Drama, Fiction

2014 | 70 minutes | El Salvador

With a magnificent use of deadpan humor and charm, The Crow’s Nest depicts a unique and realistic vision of El Salvador, where evangelical churches, reverence for the concept of the American Dream, the local struggling economy, and violence are everyday experiences for its most vulnerable population.

Criminal Justice Family Health + Aging Sociology Economics + Social Class Issues Central America Urban Studies
Synopsis

The first fiction film from El Salvador to be produced since 1969 and the first ever to see a worldwide release, The Crow’s Nest follows Don Cleo, a humble piñata salesman who receives an extortion letter at his doorstep. If he doesn’t pay $500, a small fortune for him, within 72 hours, he will be killed. Don Cleo quickly decides to gather the money through friends, but the harder he tries to raise the funds, the deeper into trouble he gets. If Don Cleo hopes to survive, he’ll have to face his fears and stand up to his tormentors.

With a magnificent use of deadpan humor and charm, The Crow’s Nest depicts a unique and realistic vision of El Salvador, where evangelical churches, reverence for the concept of the American Dream, the local struggling economy, and violence are everyday experiences for its most vulnerable population.

Shot on location in neighborhoods controlled by gangs, the script was based on a collection of real stories.

Reviews

"The Crow's Nest is emerging as a great discovery (from IFF Panama), and proofs that talent can come from anywhere in Central America - though is still a huge challenge to make movies in El Salvador." — Variety

"Menéndez's film showcases one of the most serious problems not only in El Salvador, but in Honduras, Guatemala and México, although the director insists that the film goes beyond a denunciation of violence in his country...[it is] a wakeup call to Central American reality." — Alberto Nájar, BBC World

"The Crow's Nest proudly puts El Salvador in the cinematic map." — Josh Gardner, American Film Institute

"The Crow's Nest builds a deep dialogue about the meaning of ''hope '' in a region where we have been led to believe that the word is out of dictionaries." — Christian Sida Valenzuela, Vancouver Latin American Film Festival

"A milestone in the history of Salvadorean cinema." — Columba Vertiz, Revista Proceso

"Great visual intensity..." — Héctor Silva Ávalos, Revista Factum

Citation
Main credits

Menéndez, Arturo (film director)
Menéndez, Arturo (screenwriter)
Menéndez, Arturo (film producer)
Garcia, Alex (film producer)
Solís, Salvador (actor)
Valencia, Karla (actor)
Calderón, Rodrigo (actor)

Other credits

Cinematography, Francisco Moreno; editors, Federico Krill, Emilio Santoyo, David Torres; music, Amado López.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
El Salvador, real story, gang, extortion, working class, spanish, spanish language, latin america, latin american cinema, latin american film, ibero america, latin, latinx, latino, latina,,criminal justice, crime, judiciary, police reform, corrections, criminal law, judicial system, justice department, prosecution, judgement, criminal law, courts and corrections, corrections institutes,family, kin, fellowship, household, immediate family, extended family, multigenerational family, multigenerational household, kinfolk, family tree, genealogy, nuclear family, modern family, family tree,health, healthy, physical health, mental health, emotional health, health equity, public health, health care, health policy, fitness, veracity, welfare, soundness, aging, age, old age, senior, youth, middle age, aging gracefully, advanced age, collective health, maturity,sociology, anthropology, psychology, sociological, sociological perspectives, conflict theory, human conflicts, sociological thinking,conflict perspective, topics in sociology, sociology topics, sociology studies, social studies, people and cultures, human relations, human relationships, cultural studies, culture studies ,economics, social class, money, capital, capitalism, class, economy, prejudice, intersectionality, inequality, poverty, income gap, wage gap, class warfare, elitism, snobbery, bourgeois, poverty, upper class, middle class, lower class, nouveau riche,central america, honduras, costa rica, guatemala, belize, el salvador, nicaragua, panama, america central, mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, central america volcanic arc, centroamérica, panama canal,urban studies, urbanism, community development, communities, urbanization, civic centers, satellite cities, residential areas, gentrification, barrioization, boomtown, bedroom communities, city block, city center, community displacement, white flight, walkability, zoning, housing, incorporated areas, unincorporated areas, suburbs, exurbs, inner cities, inner city, conservation ; "The Crow’s Nest"; Pragda Films
Clips
No clips are available yet.
Festivals

AFI Latin American Film Festival
Havana Film Festival
Chicago Latino Film Festival
Panama International Film Festival
Vancouver Latin Film Festival
International Film Festival Innsbruck

DIRECTOR: Arturo Menéndez

NATIONALITY: El Salvador

YEAR: 2014

GENRE: Comedy, Drama, Fiction

LANGUAGE: Spanish

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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