Sangre derramada (1975)

A political firebrand ages into the kind of iron-fisted bureaucrat he once sought to topple in the perceptive sociopolitical drama Sangre derramada (1975). Rafael Portillo’s film chronicles the coming of age of the eldest son of a minister in the Mexican government. When his father ignores his pleas to spare the life of some imprisoned revolutionaries, Carlos takes to the hills to aid in the uprising. Many years later the Mexican revolutionary’s political views have softened and he’s acquired a post in the new government. Now it’s his father who’s leading the rebellion, and it’s up to Carlos to decide whether to live up to his youthful ideals. Though it’s a macho tale of power and rebellion, Spilled Blood boasts some sparing moments of titillation. Irma Lozano appears briefly as a captive revolutionary who’s blissfully forgotten to fully dress herself.