María Novaro is a Mexican filmmaker whose work focuses on the lives of women and children with humor, insight, and gorgeous visuals. Though well-known in Mexico, where Novaro began making films in the ’80s, her work is harder to find in the U.S. It is worth the effort to locate it.
Novaro was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1951. She began making films in an industry that was largely devoid female filmmakers. Novaro began her career in sound mixing and cinematography while also making short films. Written with her sister, Novaro’s first feature, 1989’s “Lola,” centers on a single mother trying to make things work with her husband in L.A. In an interview with Isabel Arredondo for Women’s Studies Quarterly, Novaro said, “Motherhood is taken as being something natural that doesn’t need to be explored or that poses no questions.” Her work treats motherhood, and in “Tesoros” childhood, as interesting, and indeed vital, topics of artistic exploration.
Her second feature, 1991’s “Danzon,” follows another mother as she leaves her life behind for a weekend in Veracruz where she searches for her dance partner. She makes friends with sex workers and finds a way to come back to herself as a mother, but also as a woman of her own, showing that it is possible to have a coming of age at any time.
Novaro’s most easily accessible film in the U.S. is her 2017 adventure story “Tesoros,” which can be streamed on Prime Video. It is rare to find a film that takes children, and childhood seriously, but “Tesoros” creates a world best viewed from the vantage point of the young. Art about children that isn’t cloyingly sweet is exceedingly rare, and Novaro does an excellent job of letting the children be full humans with personalities, problems, and dreams.
The film follows Dylan and Andrea, their siblings, as they move to a new Mexican town on the Pacific Coast with their parents. In a delightful twist, the narrator of the film isn’t either of the newcomers, but instead Jacinta, a girl who lives in an animal sanctuary and becomes part of the group of children searching for lost treasure.
These children are the future of technology, but they also have a sense of safety and freedom. This is a community of adults who care about the children and their families, regardless of their relationship. Dylan’s obsession with his iPad pirate game causes him to see the world with the same enthusiasm and playfulness. A mark on a tablet screen is now an X on a rock. The children band together to find the treasure.
“Tesoros” tells a very different story than the ones we encounter in the news. It is a place where imagination rules supreme and children’s plans and ideas are taken seriously by adults. The Pacific Coast Novaro is a place where we can see dreamy visits by Sir Francis Drake, quiet days with family, and dancing evenings.
You won’t find the sort of narrative conventions we are used to in western cinema. Though on its face this might evoke a Mexican “Goonies,” the ideology of this film is far more distinct. Children in films are often on their own – they are orphans or latch-key kids who go on Adventures without their parents’ knowledge, let alone consent. In Novaro’s world, children and adults co-exist, collaborate, and adventure together.
The children’s performances in this film are naturalistic and nuanced. There are moments of more mundane interactions as well as a strong desire to find treasure. A little girl makes fun of her uncle. A group of kids delights in the sweets at a friend’s house. A group of friends glidesThrough the trees.
Novaro has said that she made “Tesoros” for children to “strengthen optimism about the future,” and honestly, couldn’t we all use that?
Watch “Tesoros” on Amazon Prime.
DVDs of María Novaro’s films can be found online and through local libraries.
Under the Radar offers a chance for us to highlight works by and/or about women that haven’t received big releases or significant coverage in the press, but are wholly worthy of attention.
Source: Women And Hollywood