Introduction: A Cartel Comedy with a Tragic Heart When director Luis Estrada released El Infierno (released in English as Hell ) in 2010, it was immediately hailed as a masterpiece of modern Mexican cinema. A brutal satire of the drug trade, the film follows Benny García (played brilliantly by Damián Alcázar) as he returns to his hometown of San Miguel de los Santos after 20 years working in the United States, only to find a community rotten with narco-violence.
Luis Estrada made a film about hell. And in hell, according to El Infierno , there is no love. Only the memory of it. Only the desire for it. And that absence—more than the blood, more than the swearing—is the film’s greatest horror. pelicula el infierno escenas de amor
| Film | Love Scenes | Tone | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | El Infierno (2010) | Rare, tragic, unromantic | Satirical / Nihilistic | | Miss Bala (2011) | None (sex as extortion) | Dramatic | | Narcos (Netflix) | Frequent, romanticized | Glamorous | | Traffic (2000) | Minimal, realistic | Melancholic | Introduction: A Cartel Comedy with a Tragic Heart
The most powerful "love scene" in the film is the final shot—Benny alone in his truck, cementing the same cycle of violence that killed his first love. That is not a love scene. That is a requiem. Have you watched El Infierno? Did you interpret the "love scenes" differently? Share your thoughts below (no spoilers for new viewers, please). And in hell, according to El Infierno , there is no love
One of Benny’s bosses tells him: "El dinero te da putas, no amores" (Money gives you whores, not loves).
Let’s break down the three key sequences that could qualify as "escenas de amor." The first romantic encounter occurs early in the film. After being deported from the US, Benny is taken in by Doña Mary (the mother of his deceased best friend). At a local dance, Benny meets a beautiful, melancholic widow.
This is the only scene in the film that resembles traditional love. It is tender, consensual, and full of promise. The woman represents Benny’s dream of a normal life: a house, a family, and peace. For four minutes, you forget you are watching a narco movie.