In “Jardines del Bosque,” brothers Diego and Alex Barragán drink from the fountain of classic coming-of-agers such as Rob Reiner’s “Stand by Me” and Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides” with a touch of great horrors like George Sluizer’s “The Vanishing” to craft a genre-bending look at the normalization of violence in their home country of Mexico. Six years in the making, the film now has its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival. 

“Jardines del Bosque” is narrated by three adult friends — Santos (Maximiliano Nájar Márquez), Lechuga (Beto Ramirez) and Daniela (Daphne Mendez) — in the present day as they look back to the fateful summer of 2014, when their neighbor and friend Arlette (Fiona Palomo, from Netflix hit series “Outer Banks”) mysteriously went missing. The trio, preteens at the time, became obsessed with the story, embarking on an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse that had them submerged in the criminal underbelly of Guadalajara. 

Speaking with Variety ahead of the premiere, Alex recalls joining his brother as a co-writer and co-director on the project back in 2020 after “immediately connecting” with the story. “While we didn’t experience the exact events portrayed in the film, we both grew up around similar realities. From the beginning, our goal was to tell an honest and empathetic story about how violence can quietly shape young people’s lives.”  

Casting was key to the film, which heavily depended on the trio of teenage friends. Alex and Diego held open casting calls for local actors, reviewing hundreds of “talented candidates.” The directors had “always envisioned” Maximiliano Nájar Márquez as Santos following his turn in Samuel Kishi’s “Los Lobos,” and his audition “immediately confirmed” their instinct. The other two leads, found through the open auditions, had a “natural and undeniable” chemistry with Nájar Márquez. 

“Working with young actors can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly rewarding,” says Alex of their preparation process. “Our priority was to create an environment where they felt safe and trusted, allowing their natural personalities to come through. Once that trust was established, many of the film’s most genuine moments emerged organically rather than from a carefully crafted performance. Their spontaneity, curiosity, and honesty brought an emotional truth to the story that would have been difficult to achieve any other way.”

The brothers were “very aligned” in what they wanted the film to be from the beginning. On top of being co-writers and directors, Alex signs the score and Diego the editing. “We have different skills that complement each other, but very similar creative instincts,” says Alex. “That made the entire process feel deeply collaborative and allowed us to build a film that truly reflects our shared voice as filmmakers.”

As for the tonal shifts of the film, which begins as a classic summertime coming-of-ager, passing through thriller motifs and flirting with gorier genre undertones, Diego says having that mesh of tonalities was “essential” because the film is “ultimately about growing up and crossing the threshold into adulthood.” “That transition often feels like a rollercoaster: one moment, life is full of adventure, imagination and wonder, and the next you’re confronted with a much more complex reality. It can be exciting, frightening, heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. We wanted the film’s shifting tones to reflect that emotional journey and the loss of innocence at its core.”

The brothers also broach a very sensitive topic through Arlette’s disappearance: the increasing number of people listed as missing in Mexico, which is over 134,000 as of today. “Imagine growing up knowing that this is part of your country’s reality,” says Alex. “As a Mexican, a father, and someone who grew up in this environment, I find this issue far more frightening than any horror or science fiction story because it is real. We felt it was important to address it, but from a perspective that is rarely explored: how living with that reality shapes the way children grow up and understand the world around them.”

Starting the film’s journey at Raindance, a festival known for championing independent voices, has the brothers thinking of their own indie industry back home. “Mexican independent cinema is going through a very exciting moment,” says Alex. “There are more opportunities than ever to make films, thanks to public funding programs and initiatives from states like Jalisco that support local filmmakers. At the same time, I believe we need more pathways for these films to reach audiences through theaters and streaming platforms. The challenge now is not only making independent films, but creating a sustainable ecosystem.”

“Jardines del Bosque” is produced by Alex Barragán and Jacopo Fontana via the Barragán brothers’ company, Cine Charcal. The film received support from Filma Jalisco.