Narco Cultura is a disturbing expose on both Narco culture and the rise of the Narco Corrido, popular songs that glamorize the drug culture and cartels that run rampant through Juarez and other parts of Mexico. With roughly 10,000 homicides over the last four years, Juarez is one of the most dangerous places in the world. Ironically, just across the border and through the fence that divides the United States from Mexico, lies El Paso, Texas, the safest city in the United States.
At the same time, the allure of Narco culture has spread throughout Mexico and the southern half of the United States, from Los Angeles to North Carolina.
The most fascinating phenomenon in Narco Cultura is its look at the transformation of violence from Mexico to the United States. Violence is Juarez is an everyday occurrence and part of the reality of daily life. Bodies are strewn in the streets. Headless and mutilated, they are intended to send messages to both the authorities and anyone who refuses to deal with the Narcos. The detectives working for SEMFEO (a CSI equivalent) and the police wear masks to protect their identities in case murderers skulk around the crime scenes to admire their work. “El Chapo” Guzman, who appears in Forbes list of richest people in the world becomes an icon of prosperity – despite his infamy that has “turned [Juarez] into the murder capital of the world.”
In contrast, the Narco violence in the United States is buried in the mariachi-style lyrics of Narco Corridos. The gentle lilt and rhythm of the music is a hard juxtaposition to words that proclaim the singer and the fans as “bloodthirsty, crazy” and who “like to kill” – though most of the Narco admirers have never been in the situations that are commonplace in Juarez. Rather, they faun over the “antisystem rebellion” without necessarily comprehending the realities and true existence of the violence.
Instead, the singers and their fans see an equal relationship between the severity of violence and an increase in wealth. In other words, the more bloodthirsty one becomes, the more power he has, the more money he obtains. The way in which the Juarez authorities disguise themselves to avoid retribution from various cartels, I can’t say that this progression is inaccurate. Furthermore, it’s easy to understand why 97% of the homicides over the last four years remain uninvestigated. It’s also easy to understand why Narco gangs continue to grow.
Something else that Narco Cultura illustrates is the power of the minority when pit in competition against the majority. Simply put, the last few years have seen a rise in discourse on the issue of immigration from the south. That said, Narco Corridos provide a sense of self, power, and worth. They provide a path to success, fame, and fortune – so long as notoriety is synonymous with fame. As journalist Sandra Rodriguez notes in the film, the corridos have become “a symptom of how defeated we are as a society.”
Overall, Narco Cultura is a powerful, unflinching look at the strive for power and fame in the most nefarious of ways.