Fantaspoa 2026 Review: Sacrificios (2026) by Mauricio Chemovetsky

Director: Mauricio Chemovetsky

Year: 2026

Country: Mexico

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Supernatural

Plot:

Following the death of his son, a man is so consumed by guilt and grief that he sets out to kill himself for what happened, only to miraculously recover his son’s body from the water on the journey, setting him on a wild path towards embracing a devious prophecy for what happened.

Review:

Overall, this was a pretty difficult one to get a handle on. The central idea behind this one gives it a lot to like, as the idea for a psychologically unnerving storyline comes off quite well. The tragic incident setting everything in motion is accomplished well, providing a source of genuine heartbreak and trauma that sets them up on their own unique ways of dealing with everything that’s happened as he looks to get back to his son as a means of penance and atonement for his role in the accident that took him.

This allows for a stark, dreary tone early on that’s echoed in the sense of bewilderment that’s met once he finds his son’s body out at sea, seemingly alive and well, bringing with it not just the relief of finding him again, but also managing to set into motion the constant belief that something needs to be done so that he can find peace. Accomplished through a fantastic mix of psychological mind games and hallucinations that are brought about throughout here, there’s a fantastic energy in place where it’s hanging over him that he has to accomplish this dark and gruesome act, yet can’t bring himself to accept it, focusing nicely on the eternal turmoil of everything around him to bring it to life.

However, that ends up being the main drawback against this, where it’s so abstract and metaphorical about what’s going on that it tends to feel repetitive way too often. The initial introduction to the ancient Aztec beliefs that supposedly signal the main motivating factors about what’s going on is briefly glossed over, so there’s little context for what everything all means when he starts hallucinating about seeing the naked internet model or the various daydreams with his wife. It comes across nicely enough as a great idea, but there’s little about it that gives this the kind of throughline necessary to understand what it’s supposed to mean, and with this unnecessary secondary subplot about these soldiers coming to the island that never has any connection to the film, it brings this down.

Overview: ***/5

A really strong if somewhat challenging genre effort, there’s enough to enjoy here that it’s an immensely likable effort even though it does have some issues keeping it down overall. Those with an appreciation for this kind of genre fare or who are curious about it will have a lot to like here, while most others out there might want to heed caution.

This review ran as part of our coverage of the 2026 Fantaspoa Film Festival