Set in the beautiful, mountainous landscape of Guatemala, Ixcanul tells the sad, but compelling story of a young girl fighting with her cultural norms. Maria, the protagonist of the movie, has been promised, at the decision of her parents, to another young man she does not know and does not love. From an outsider's perspective, not understanding the culture of arranged marriages, it is quite difficult to identify with her and the emotions that she is feeling. Additionally, the use of the Mayan language, Kaqchikel, only heightens the disconnect between Maria and the audience of the movie. While the use of the indigenous, Mayan language, is beautiful, and is bringing light to an almost forgotten culture, it keeps the audience at a distance. Even though we want to truly understand Maria and her rebellion against her culture's traditions, we simply cannot. At least not at first. As the story progresses, I was able to more strongly connect with Maria and her sad situation. I was able to see past the language barrier and sympathize with her. Here she is, a young, promised woman, pregnant with another man's baby, trying to protect her family's reputation from what she has done. The audience is let in and able to develop a connection to Maria through the intimate scene with her mother. We may not be right there, but the audience is allowed to participate in these scenes. In the end, I really did appreciate the movie, its use of an indigenous, Mayan language, and its ability to slowly pull the audience into Maria's story. There is a level of complexity that at first kept the audience at a distance, and may have even turned some viewer's off to the movie. As the director allows moments of participation between Maria, Juana and the audience, it becomes a beautiful story that captures any audience.
