El Norte (1984)
89%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 2 nominations total
Sensitively written, skillfully directed, and powerfully portrayed, El Norte wrings deeply affecting drama from intractable real-life issues
El Norte is a must-see movie that will take you on a journey of epic proportions. With powerful acting, stunning cinematography, and a story that transcends borders, this film will leave you feeling both emotional and inspired. And if that’s not enough, there’s even a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready for a moving picture of grim realities that will have you on the edge of your seat. Trust us, you won’t regret it!
Production Company(ies)
Mandeville Films, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Artisan Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Guatemala City, Guatemala
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1984
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 1
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Runtime:2h 19m
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Language(s):Spanish, Maya, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1983 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 20, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez, David Villalpando, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, directed by Gregory Nava, written by Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Joseph Treen, Catherine Rambeau, Marsha McCreadie, Kathleen Carroll, Gene Siskel, Eleanor Ringel Cater, Michael Ventura, JoAnn Rhetts, Steve Murray, Malcolm Johnson, Richard Freedman, Robert W Butler, MPAA rating R, produced by Trevor Black, Bertha Navarro, Anna Thomas, labor union, Guatemalan army, Mayan Indians, illegal immigrants, Los Angeles, Mexico, intractable real-life issues, cinematographer James Glennon, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, fantasy, reality, music, operatic emotional dimensions, horror story, mice, Oscar nomination, Best Original Screenplay, heartbreaking, refugees, United States, Guatemala, Los Angeles
Worldwide gross: $27,920
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $81,759
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,045
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,916
US/Canada gross: $27,920
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $81,759
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,685
US/Canada opening weekend: $27,920
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $81,759
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,015
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
David Villalpando – Enrique Xuncax
Ernesto Gómez Cruz – Arturo Xuncax
Gregory Nava – Director, Writer
Anna Thomas – Writer
Director(s)
Gregory Nava
Writer(s)
Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas
Producer(s)
Trevor Black, Bertha Navarro, Anna Thomas
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 2 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (56) | Rotten (5)
It ought to be required viewing — on both sides of the border.
November 2, 2021
Joseph Treen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
[Audiences will] get plenty for their money: powerful acting, flint-clean cinematography, a riveting story that transcends geographical boundaries, and a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Catherine Rambeau
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
There is no question El Norte is one-sided, even propagandistic and sentimental at times, but its emotional and visual power supersedes some of its predictability.
August 3, 2021
Marsha McCreadie
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Through the efforts of cinematographer James Glennon, Nava has almost succeeded in matching the unique style of Latin American writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez whose tales are a vibrant mixture of fantasy and reality.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
El Norte is an epic story told on a small, intimate human scale.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Things go wrong in fairly predictable ways and the movie’s last 15 minutes are undeniably maudlin. But by then we’re so caught up in Enrique and Rosa’s struggles, it’s easy to forgive the film’s unabashed sentimentality.
August 3, 2021
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
Its images are so forceful, and so beautiful, that they transcend the story’s simplicity and reach into a realm that can be justly called poetic.
August 3, 2021
Michael Ventura
L.A. Weekly
A vibrant moving picture of grim realities.
August 3, 2021
JoAnn Rhetts
Charlotte Observer
It never drags and has moments of Costa Gavras-like suspense which Nava presents in a style all his own.
August 3, 2021
Steve Murray
Bay Area Reporter
Working without major studio support, Nava and Thomas prove themselves filmmakers of exceptional skill, taste and idealism, who have made El Norte both an impressively finished and deeply moving vision of three very different Americas.
August 3, 2021
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
Expressionist, too, is the use of music in what is in many ways a film of operatic emotional dimensions.
August 3, 2021
Richard Freedman
Newhouse News Service
It has its moments of gritty realism, but also many of humor, and the technical production is spectacularly good with stunning color photography by James Glennon.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star…
Plot
Peasants, tired of beingnothing more than manual laborers, are discovered by the Guatemalan army. After the army destroys their village, a brother and sister, decide they must flee el Norte. After receiving help from friends and advice from a veteran immigrant on strategies for traveling, they make their way to Los Angeles.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about El Norte.
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