The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz

Set during the Mexican Revolution, the narrative uses the era's upheaval and shifting loyalties as a backdrop. The period is marked by unrest, political intrigue, and a sense that personal ambitions can have fatal consequences. The events blend intimate melodrama with the larger social turmoil of early 20th century Mexico.

The film unfolds across urban Mexico during the Mexican Revolution, moving through an antique shop, a pottery studio, Carlota's home, a gambling parlor, a dress shop, and a bustling city park. The settings reveal a society under pressure, with wealth and desire colliding with social expectations. Each location serves as a stage for Archibaldo's schemes, romances, and the deadly consequences that follow.

🔪 Power & Violence

Archibaldo's discovery of the music box gives him a sense of control, blurring fantasy and reality as murder becomes a recurring possibility. The narrative tracks how power intoxicates him and how violence spirals from his fantasies into real harm. A judge ultimately questions whether his acts are crimes or manifestations of a deeper predilection.

💘 Obsession

Romance in Archibaldo's world is weaponized by possession and the fear of impurity. His infatuations—first with Carlota, then with Lavinia—read as compulsions that override consent and reason. The story probes how obsession distorts relationships and freezes people into archetypes to be controlled.

⚖️ Guilt & Consequences

Even after confessing, Archibaldo carries a weight of responsibility for the women who die around him. The legal verdict is equivocal, but personal accountability remains, pushing him to confront the consequences of his actions. The final act—throwing the music box into a lake—offers a fragile sense of atonement.

🎭 Illusion vs Reality

The film constantly blurs what is real and what is imagined, using props like the mannequin and the music box to stage its 'performances.' Archibaldo's mind crafts elaborate scenarios in which power, love, and danger fuse into a single spectacle. The line between appearance and truth drives the dark humor and tragedy of the story.