U.S.-MEXICO FUTURES FORUM: Holding a Mirror to Mexico

Professor Harley Shaiken reviews the film “Miss Bala” and describes the special advanced screening CLAS hosted in December with the film’s producer Diego Luna.

“Miss Bala,” a riveting film by Mexican director Gerardo Naranjo, opens in a parched, dusty area of Tijuana where the intense sun burns brightly, but prospects for residents are notably dim. Laura (Stephanie Sigman), a striking 23-year-old, shares a small house with her younger brother and father, who ekes out a living from a clothing stall. Trapped in an impoverished world, Laura views her beauty as a possible ticket out and enters the Miss Baja California pageant to seize her chance.