Bedtime Fairy Tales for Crocodiles (2002)

In the haunting echoes of insomniac nights, we follow the plight of Arcángel, a man tormented by sleep's elusive touch and the abandonment of his wife. A cryptic message from his presumably deceased brother pulls him back to the roots of his lineage, his forlorn family home. Accompanied by his son, Arcángel journeys across the familiar yet estranged thresholds, only to discover the spectral presence of Isabel, an enigmatic elderly woman. The house, once brimming with life, now stands as a desolate monument to the long lost, a chilling testament to Arcángel's father and brother's demise. As the past begins to unravel, a chilling tale emerges: a curse cast by the sinister gaze of a coyote, brought alongside the French guns, which has doomed the men in his family to a lifetime of wakeful horror and the haunting aftermath of a buried crime. Arcángel is further burdened by the advancing pregnancy of Teresa and the impending doom of a curse that threatens to consume yet another generation. He stands on the precipice of a daunting battle against a malevolent legacy, his salvation and that of his son tangled in the intricate webs of their ancestral past. As the story oscillates between Arcángel's personal tribulations and significant epochs in Mexican history, such as the Reform War and the Mexican Revolution, the narrative unravels a poetic exploration of the struggle for salvation. Arcángel is caught in the crossfire of love and despair, with an elusive myth suggesting that only love can provide redemption. However, he remains skeptical, branding love as an illusion. In "Bedtime Fairy Tales for Crocodiles," the viewers are invited on a surreal journey through time, tracing the footprints of a man's quest to break free from a haunting familial curse. This captivating tale serves as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life, exploring the interplay between past and present, love and hatred, and the eternal struggle for salvation.

Bedtime Fairy Tales for Crocodiles is a drama movie featuring Arturo Ríos and directed by Ignacio Ortiz.

Bedtime Fairy Tales for Crocodiles is currently streaming on Mubi.