Shot in grainy black and white, at times fuzzed out to the point of near-incoherence, this is the visual equivalent of a DIY crust punk seven-inch, raw and hands-on every step of the way. Easy cinematic comparisons are the likes of Repo Man, and the bulk of Alex Cox’s filmography, Q’s Gandu, and the ‘80s Cinema of Transgression movement fronted by the likes of Nick Zedd. But just for kicks there are also nods to the Manchurian Candidate, a Star Wars allusion, and a kaiju scene where the hero throws down with the President of the United States. Because why the hell not? And all this in addition to being a superhero origin story.
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Young and aimless, all Ricardo (Ramon Galvez) wants is to hang out with his pals Mella (Diego Bravo) and Claudia (Antonia McCarthy), see whatever bands are playing that night, and pound a few brews in the process. When he mistakes a bottle of an ancient elixir, the titular Mantapanki, he develops powers. In the true revolutionary spirit of punk rock, he sets out to make the world a better place, unbeknownst to him, becoming embroiled in a shadowy government conspiracy that goes to the very top of the global power structure and sets off an international incident. Not bad for a punk kid from the barrio.
Fuentes truly captures the sense and feeling of being these kids as they scrounge and pool their cash to buy the absolute cheapest six pack they can find. Rarely has a film so accurately portrayed the anarchic energy and vitality of a warehouse punk show; what it’s like to be on the ground, in the middle of it all, sweating and flailing and raging. These are kids with no hope, no future, living on the frayed edges of society.
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When Ricardo gains his abilities, there are growing pains. What does he do with these powers? How does he use them? Can he really fix the system that casts people like him aside, letting his grandmother wither away waiting endless hours in a hospital to see a doctor? Does he owe it to the people around him? Does he owe it to himself? As he struggles with all of these moral and ethical questions and more, he spirals, dealing with unforeseen side effects and impacts of his new reality. All the while, the film never loses its edge or momentum.
Lo-fi doesn’t begin to describe the entire aesthetic of the film. In addition to the monochromatic color palate, Fuentes mixes in flashes and slashes of animation, graffiti scrawls, and hallucinatory asides. It’s a perfect match for the stark, impoverished neighborhoods and the hopefully hopeless outlook of the characters. Over all of this is a driving punk score and soundtrack, one propulsive, vibrant track after another pressing us ever forward.
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Matapanki is rowdy and radical and, more so than most movies that delve into this world, there’s an authenticity. This isn’t just about punk, this is punk, to its core. It’s the stirring, wild, and inspiring DIY punk rock superhero jaunt we all needed. Who knew? [Grade: A]
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