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In the Pit

Play trailer Poster for In the Pit 2006 1h 24m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Focusing on the plight of the invisible worker, this documentary shows the stark realities and human struggles of hundreds of Mexican construction laborers as they toil to build Mexico City's enormous Periférico Freeway. These courageous and tireless men share stories about their families, their individual goals, and personal insights into the perilous nature of their chosen profession, as well as the camaraderie that helps keep them going as they endeavor to meet the approaching deadline.

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In the Pit

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Critics Consensus

Although this doc is shot in a simple style, it is a touching and fascinating look at the lives of Mexican laborers.

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Critics Reviews

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V.A. Musetto New York Post Rated: 3/4 Aug 22, 2007 Full Review Jeff Shannon Seattle Times If you've ever been fascinated by a large and complex construction site, Juan Carlos Rulfo's oddly affecting documentary may offer a kind of blue-collar bliss. Rated: 2.5/4 May 4, 2007 Full Review Philip Kennicott Washington Post Like the highway these men are building, Rulfo's film sails above the larger context that would actually bring emotional meaning to the lives he wants to celebrate. Apr 23, 2007 Full Review Don Willmott Filmcritic.com something truly amazing Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 12, 2008 Full Review Bill White Seattle Post-Intelligencer Life on the freeway is hell, but what comes next for these workers might be worse. Rated: B May 4, 2007 Full Review Timothy Knight Reel.com A fascinating and eye-opening chronicle of work and class issues in contemporary Mexico. Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 6, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Yes, it is a pretty plane documentary that doesnt tell me something else than the outside behavior of the constructors in Mexico city. I was expecting life stories but instead they were 30 minutes of harassment of the women, sexual plus sexual plus more sexual allusions and a lot of nasty language!!! Nothing else happend in the documentary, nothing else or nothing new for me. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member As documentaries go, this is one of the best. It's a scathing expose of the conditions faced by Mexican workers. Juan Carlos Rulfo succeeds in painting these men as incredibly likeable, good-hearted individuals.... really really good:) Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/30/08 Full Review Audience Member i do feel a little pain for the mexis...or they could just unionize and get sum mo' dough yo..probably not Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/21/08 Full Review Audience Member La secuencua con la que termina el documental es impresionante. Muestra el resultado extraordinario procedente de las tareas mas ordinarias hechas por personas anonimas. Otra secuencia que me encanta es en la que se edita una melodia a partir de los ruidos de la construccion -creo que es a super ingenioso hacer llegar a la audiencia la cotidianedad de la vida de los obreros y la personalidad de uno de la protagonistas -el periferico en construccion. En el Hoyo, es uno de los mejores documentales que he visto. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/28/08 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic documentary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/08/08 Full Review Audience Member [font=Century Gothic]"In the Pit" is an insightful documentary about the building of the second deck of the Pereferico Freeway in Mexico City, focusing on men(and one woman) who worked on the immense project.(It should be noted that there is a sort of hyper-masculinity infecting the workers. One even spent his time spying on passing female motorists.) Through this, there forms an incisive portrait of the class system of Mexico. To start, the construction crews were mostly from the lower and working classes who risked their lives working below, on(while dodging traffic) and above the ground. Building another deck was a particularly bourgeois solution to the traffic woes as most people who own a car are at least of the middle class. By comparison, the workers take buses to and from the site. I do not think the second deck will even alleviate traffic in the long run, as it will just lead to more cars taking to the roads.(For more information, read "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro.) and therefore to more pollution. [/font] Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/28/08 Full Review Read all reviews
In the Pit

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Movie Info

Synopsis Focusing on the plight of the invisible worker, this documentary shows the stark realities and human struggles of hundreds of Mexican construction laborers as they toil to build Mexico City's enormous Periférico Freeway. These courageous and tireless men share stories about their families, their individual goals, and personal insights into the perilous nature of their chosen profession, as well as the camaraderie that helps keep them going as they endeavor to meet the approaching deadline.
Director
Juan Carlos Rulfo
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 26, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.6K
Runtime
1h 24m
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