Where the Tracks End Review: Also known as El Último Vagón, is a Mexican film directed by Ernesto Contreras and written by Javier Peñalosa. Starring Kaarlo Isaac, Frida Sofía Cruz Salinas, Adriana Barraza, Blanca Guerra and Guillermo Villegas in the lead roles, the story follows the growing up of a small boy Ikal in a small town where he meets a wonderful teacher and makes earnest friends.
The movie is produced by Ernesto Contreras, Alejandro Cortés Rubiales, Germán Jiménez, Rafael Ley, and Mónica Vértiz. The music is scored by Gus Reyes and Andrés Sánchez. The cinematography is done by Juan Pablo Ramírez whereas the editing team is led by Jorge Macaya.
The main cast includes Kaarlo Isaacs as Ikal, Frida Cruz as Valeria, Ikal Paredes as Tuerto, Adriana Barraza as Georgina, Memo Villegas as Hugo Valenzuela, Diego Montessoro as Chico, and other actors. The movie’s runtime is 1 hour and 35 minutes and it is available in Spanish and English languages.
– When the Tracks End Review Contains No Spoilers –
There are certain movies where just from the first few minutes our gut feeling will tell that it’s a promising flick. When the Tracks End is that type of film. The movie is super artistic, thanks to the brilliant cast, cinematography, and locations. Speaking of the plot, it narrates a young boy, Ikal’s journey in a small town where he has moved to.
Ikal and his family are constantly shifting places because his father works for the railways. Once the tracks are constructed, the workers move to another location. This causes Ikal’s education, friendships, and entire childhood to float by. Nevertheless, when he moves to a rural town in Mexico, he finds a new journey ahead of him.
Excellent Performance
This movie is like an ode to childhood and that one particular teacher in all of our lives that touched our souls. Georgina is an elderly woman whose only motive is to educate the children of the town for free. She runs her school in an abandoned wagon and creatively conducts class with the books and maps she has.
Adriana Barraza has done an excellent job of expressing the qualities of a warm teacher. The writers have designed the character in a way that she is not a typical sweet teacher but a wise woman who knows how to handle a child. When Ikal rejects her tuition, she knew exactly how to grab a child’s attention. Truly, her gentle demeanor brought me to tears.
Coming to the Karrlo Isaacs the younger Ikal, he deserves an award for his phenomenal acting. The innocence can be seen in his eyes along with his wide knowledge of life at such a young age. Since he is exposed to different locations and hardships, he is a calm and talented folk who also is very affectionate. Him falling in love with Valeria can be seen in his doe eyes—excellent expressions.
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The other three main characters, Tuerto, Valeria, and Chico didn’t fall short because their performances were also equally amusing. Notably, Chico’s character is one of the keys to Ikal’s character development. Chico is quite older than the other kids and he acts rough. However, he is actually a tender child who will do anything for his friends. I don’t think anyone than Diego Montessero would have done Chico’s role better.
Tearjerker Plot, Stunning Locations, and Excellent Cinematography
While watching this movie, all I could think of was the Tamil film Pallikoodam where grown-up students try to save their school from being closed. There are similarities between them but the overall experience both movies give are unique. Coming to Where the Tracks End, I must say the locations are what pulled my attention.
The rusted vehicles, broken walls, ancient buildings, tiny backyards, train compartment-turned homes, etc, can’t be seen in person unless we travel to those rural areas. Thanks to these sorts of movies, the viewers get to feel the places via the frames. The circus scene in this movie is an outstanding one because it’s delivered from the lens of the children.
Their happiness while looking at a rabbit coming out of a hat made me jealous because as an adult, my logical mind won’t allow me to feel that. The backdrops, the costumes of the magicians, the tricks, and the tales they share, simply makes one wish they were present at that place. But again, thanks to the movie, we get a solid escapade.
Speaking of cinematography and editing, big kudos for capturing the moments insanely well. In one scene where Ikal’s father enters their home, a tiny bulb hanging on the ceiling is the only light that shines on the gloomy face of the father. So artistic that it conveyed the beautiful poor condition of the family yet their love for each other in that tiny home.
Another frame that captivated me the most is when the editors showed the childhood versions of the characters when the camera moved—genius! It didn’t occur to me that I was watching the present and flashback story of the same pal until the end.
When the Tracks End Review: Final Thoughts
Everything about this movie is wholesome to watch. The tale of a young boy growing up, his determination to save the place that started his journey, his friendships, the wonderful teacher, the struggle of the parent, etc, everything was presented on point. The visuals were great, the dialogues were neat and the acting was at its finest.
When the Tracks End is worth the watch and it is streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts on this movie when you watch it.
Awesome story. Highly recommend.