Prayers for the Stolen (Noche de fuego) (2021)
97%RT Audience Score: 100%
Awards & Nominations: 16 wins & 12 nominations
As absorbing as it is harrowing, Prayers for the Stolen observes life under the shadow of systemic violence with startling clarity.
If you’re looking for a book that’ll make you feel all the feels, Prayers for the Stolen is it. It’s like a rollercoaster ride of emotions – you’ll be absorbed and harrowed all at once. The author really nails the whole “life under the shadow of systemic violence” thing, and it’s almost like you’re right there with the characters, experiencing everything they are. It’s a pretty heavy read, but it’s definitely worth it. Plus, you’ll feel super smart and cultured when you finish it. Win-win!
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some language
Year of Release
2021
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:NA
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):
-
Country of origin:Mexico
-
Release date:NA
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Alejandra Camacho, Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo, David Illescas, Memo Villegas, Eileen Yañez, directed by Tatiana Huezo, written by Tatiana Huezo, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Guy Lodge, Wendy Ide, Marina Ashioti, Peter Bradshaw, Gary M Kramer, Yolanda Machado, Alfonso Flores-Durón y Martínez, Dan Bayer, Hilary A White, Christopher Machell, Rosa Parra, producer Nicolás Celis, Jim Stark, MPAA rating R, adolescence, coming-of-age, violence, drug cartels, people traffickers, systemic violence, survival, friendship, female empowerment, Mexican culture, small town life, poverty, danger, fear, hope, resilience, beauty, symbolism, scorpion, powerlessness, individual human lives
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
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
Mayra Batalla – Rita
Norma Pablo – Luz
David Illescas – Maestro
Memo Villegas – Leonardo
Eileen Yañez – Concha
Director(s)
Tatiana Huezo
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Nicolás Celis, Jim Stark
Film Festivals
Tribeca, Cannes
Awards & Nominations
16 wins & 12 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (2)
A coming-of-age story of unique urgency and scope, in which day-to-day survival is presented to them as a gift, though it hardly cancels out the girls’ burgeoning hormonal unrest.
May 31, 2022
Guy Lodge
Film of the Week
TOP CRITIC
Huezo taps into the intense vibration between young female friends who treasure each other above all else.
April 10, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A powerful distillation of beauty from violence.
April 10, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Marina Ashioti
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
A complex, subtle, tender and heart-rending story of a young girl’s upbringing in a village menaced by the drug cartels and people traffickers.
April 6, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Huezo’s thoughtful film is almost deceptively simple, but like the image of a scorpion that recurs throughout “Prayers for the Stolen,” it ultimately stings.
November 18, 2021
Gary M. Kramer
Salon.com
TOP CRITIC
Rather than focus on the terror of living in a cartel-torn area, the film becomes a tale of strength, heartbreak, and jaw-dropping beauty.
November 17, 2021
Yolanda Machado
TheWrap
TOP CRITIC
[Tatiana Huezo] doesn’t take long to take reign of the story, firmly threading the plot on track with imaginative and beautiful sequences, charged with symbolism and even visual gold… [Full review in Spanish]
May 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Alfonso Flores-Durón y Martínez
En Filme
Her documentarian instincts are both a help and a hindrance to Prayers for the Stolen, creating a strong sense of place while lacking enough of a driving force to keep this coming of age story engaging all the way through.
May 10, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Dan Bayer
Next Best Picture
With a documentarian’s sense of observation, [Writer-director Huezo] deftly threads together the uneven wonder and sanctuary of youth with an unspeakable outside dread.
April 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Hilary A White
Sunday Independent (Ireland)
Prayers for the Stolen is fundamentally an account of powerlessness, of the insidious ways that forces act invisibly, immeasurably, and often horrifically on those with the least ability to resist them.
April 12, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Christopher Machell
CineVue
A powerful and heartbreaking story. A painful reminder of what it’s like to be a woman in that environment.
January 25, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Rosa Parra
Latinx Lens
By delving into fiction, Huezo is able to focus on the impact of this crisis on individual human lives.
January 20, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film…
Plot
Life in a town at war seen through the eyes of three young girls on the path to adolescence.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Prayers for the Stolen includes Alejandra Camacho, Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo, David Illescas, Memo Villegas, and Eileen Yañez.
Tatiana-Huezo.jpg
