Gold and Silver: A dusty, chaotic relic that’s hard to pin down

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you are a completionist when it comes to older Mexican cinema. If you need tight pacing or a story that stays on the rails, you will probably hate it. It’s for the folks who like to dig through archives and don't mind a film that feels a little disjointed.

Gold and Silver isn't trying to win any awards for clarity. It’s got a lot of faces, a lot of shouting, and a plot that feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and sheer willpower.

The cast is huge

There are so many people packed into the frame that I stopped trying to track who was who about twenty minutes in. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in No Blood Relation, where you’re just waiting for someone to finally sit down and stop moving for a second.

The musical interludes from El Trío Maya are… well, they’re there. They pop up like someone hit a random button on a jukebox. It breaks the tension, if there was any to begin with.

A bit of a slog

There is this one scene where they’re arguing over property or money—it’s hard to tell—and the dialogue just circles the drain. One of the actors, I think it was Felipe de Flores, just stares off into the middle distance while the others are yelling. It’s oddly hypnotic.

The cinematography is what you’d expect from this era, lots of shadows and tight corners. It’s not exactly Monte Carlo, but it has that dusty, lived-in feel. Sometimes the camera lingers on a prop—maybe a dusty ledger or a half-empty glass—way longer than it needs to. Like the director forgot to yell 'cut'.

• The sound mixing is a total gamble.
• Some of the extras in the background look like they’re just waiting for their lunch break.
• The dramatic music swells at the weirdest times.

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece. It feels more like a rough draft that someone accidentally put in the camera. But there’s a certain charm to it. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it doesn't give a damn if you keep up with the story or not. 📽️

If you've sat through things like The Corsican and came out the other side, you'll know exactly the kind of rhythm this has. It’s not for everyone, but it’s definitely something you watch when you want to feel like you're uncovering something forgotten in a basement. Just don't expect a clean resolution.