Middle-aged Magdalena (Hernandez) has lost contact with her son after he took off with a friend from their town of Guanajuato to cross the border into the U.S., hopeful to find work. Desperate to find out what happened to him—and to know whether or not he’s even alive—she embarks on an ever-expanding and increasingly dangerous journey to discover the truth. At the same time, a young man named Miguel (Illescas) has returned to Mexico after being deported from the U.S., and eventually his path converges with Magdalena’s. From this simple but urgent premise, director Fernanda Valadez has crafted a lyrical, suspenseful slow burn, equally constructed of moments of beauty and horror, and which leads to a startling, shattering conclusion. Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Audience and Screenplay Awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. – New Directors/New Films

An official selection of the Boston Women's Film Festival 2020

Join New York Women in Film & Television for a livestream Q&A with the filmmakers behind IDENTIFYING FEATURES on Mon, Jan 25 at 4pm. Find out more here.

"Identifying Features peels back that feel-good façade of the 'coming to America' narrative for a much more painful reality, one that feels freshly steeped in tears, heartache, and headlines." – Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

"An austere, gorgeously shot parable of chaos and loss in modern Mexico, 'Identifying Features' is an assured directorial debut from Fernanda Valadez." – Ty Burr, The Boston Globe

"Director and co-writer #FernandaValadez, who has the eye of a painter, has created a tale worthy of Hawthorne with her story of a Mexican mother's search for her missing son." – James Verniere, Boston Herald