Since “The Blair Witch Project” launched the Found Footage genre in 1999 , we have been inundated with films seeking to match its success; unfortunately for every “Blair Witch” there are 20 films that have been responsible for giving the genre a bad reputation.
However, new proposals have emerged that use resources to impress an audience that asks for quality content, one of them is the Mockumentary (false documentary), which creates testimonials, interviews, evidence and news segments, very different from what it is. the Found Footage because it offers us a first-person testimony of the events; you could say that both genders are distant cousins. “Lake Mungo” (Joel Anderson, 2008) is perhaps the first example of a well-acted and executed mockumentary that ends up convincing the casual viewer that what was presented really happened. “Savageland” is a little-known mockumentary that follows the same line and incidentally, he is dedicated to making a strong social commentary on the situation of illegal immigrants in the United States.
“Savageland” narrates the aftermath that occurred after the massacre that occurred in the fictional town of Sangre de Cristo; the blame lies with a single survivor: Francisco Salazar (Noé Montes) an illegal Mexican immigrant who took 36 photographs of the tragic events where 57 people lost their lives in grotesque fashion, but whose images make the mystery of how the events happened take on a supernatural twist.
The documentary style injects a sense of realism into a spooky story that is also heavily loaded with social commentary on the situation of illegal immigrants in the United States. In fact, the name of the tape alludes to the way in which Americans refer to the inhabitants of the town.
Prejudice, racism and the search for a scapegoat make the county sheriff and a radio announcer call for public opinion to ask for Francisco’s head, but the official version is contradicted by the physical evidence and the photos presented, leaving us with more questions than answers. The images shown are neither explicit nor graphic, and although blurry, they are disturbing, particularly two that reflect the horror that the residents experienced.
“Savageland” plays with our fears, leaving us with the feeling that we have seen a real documentary and that there is something on the US-Mexico border that is there, lurking. Too bad for its ending, which, although it wants to convince us that what killed the inhabitants of Sangre of Christ still roams in the surroundings takes away strength from everything seen.
Sadly this is another brilliant overlooked and under-recognized film; It may not be for everyone but those who love a good story will be rewarded. “Savageland” manages to remind us that it doesn’t take a masked serial killer to make us cringe.
