French New Wave Through a Modern Mexican Lens in ‘Güeros’

This film won Mexico’s Ariel Award for Best Picture in 2015 and takes place during the 1999 student strikes in Mexico City, yet it feels like a lost product of the 1960s French New Wave, as admitted by director Alonso Ruizpalacios. Shot in black and white, it’s a “day in the life” road trip full of exuberant, self-conscious, playful, mock-improvised moments that show a love for cinema. At one point the characters discuss the screenplay: “It’s a chase movie.” In other words, it bursts with youthful vitality and confusion, as scored by a gorgeously nostalgic soundtrack while three teens search all over the city for enigmatic Mexican folk rocker Epigmeneo Cruz. Texas Public Radio screens the unrated Spanish-language film as part of its Cinema Tuesdays series. $10-$15, 7:30pm Tue, Aug. 2, Santikos Bijou, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 614-8977, tpr.org.