Name: Hurricane Season
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: 2023-11-01T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Edgar Treviño, Andrés Cordaz, Ernesto Meléndez, Kat Rigoni, Paloma Alvamar

The corpse floating in the canal is the first of many unsettling images in Elisa Miller’s Hurricane Season, a film that dives headfirst into the squalor and violence lurking beneath the surface of La Matosa, a fictional Mexican town. Based on Fernanda Melchor’s novel, Miller’s adaptation is a brutal, nonlinear descent into a community where myth and reality collide with devastating consequences.

What it is: A crime drama wrapped in thriller tension, Hurricane Season follows a group of teens who stumble upon a murdered body, setting off a chain reaction that exposes the town’s darkest secrets. The film’s structure mirrors Melchor’s nonlinear narrative, weaving together multiple perspectives as the truth about “La Bruja” (The Witch) unravels.

What works: Miller’s direction is unflinching in its portrayal of poverty and desperation. The cinematography leans into the oppressive heat and decay of La Matosa, with tight framing that amplifies the claustrophobia of the characters’ lives. Edgar Treviño delivers a standout performance as La Bruja, embodying both menace and vulnerability. The ensemble cast—particularly Andrés Cordaz as Luismi and Ernesto Meléndez as Brando—brings raw intensity to their roles, grounding the film’s more fantastical elements in gritty realism.

The film’s pacing is deliberate, building tension through slow-burn revelations rather than cheap shocks. A standout scene involves a confrontation between La Bruja and the townsfolk, where the camera lingers on the characters’ faces, capturing their fear, anger, and helplessness in unblinking detail.

What falters: The film’s nonlinear structure, while ambitious, occasionally feels convoluted. Some threads of the story are left unresolved, leaving gaps that may frustrate viewers seeking closure. Additionally, the shift between naturalistic performances and moments of mythic horror isn’t always seamless, creating tonal whiplash in parts.

The violence, while visceral, sometimes borders on exploitative, raising questions about whether it serves the narrative or simply shocks for shock’s sake. A sequence involving a graphic act of retribution is particularly jarring, as it feels more gratuitous than earned.

Verdict: Hurricane Season is a bold, uncompromising film that doesn’t shy away from depicting the ugliness of human nature. Miller’s adaptation captures the essence of Melchor’s novel—its brutality, its chaos, and its unflinching look at a society teetering on the edge.