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Two Monks (1934)

The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present

Two Monks

Juan Bustillo Oro | Mexico | 1934 | Unclassified (15+)
Film

When

Wed 17 Sep 2025

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With visually arresting cinematography by Agustín Jiménez, openly displaying the influence of German Expressionism with its dramatic lighting, careful use of shadows and intense close-ups, this was also the first Mexican film to use a crane for high-angle shots. Described by Charles Ramírez Berg as an “existential mystery”, its highly original use of multiple flashbacks of the same event preceded Kurosawa’s Rashomon by 16 years.

Praised by critics, the experimental style proved too much for contemporary audiences and it was a box-office failure. Rediscovered in the 1970s, it is now credited with creating the “Mexican Gothic” genre.

Courtesy of Filmoteca UNAM's Collection.

Format: DCP
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Source: UNAM
Courtesy: UNAM
Runtime: 79 mins

Event duration

79 mins

Rating

Unclassified (15+)

Where

Cinema 1, Level 2
ACMI, Fed Square

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About Melbourne Cinémathèque

Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.

Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven. 

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