Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s “lost” and just because someone has seen it doesn’t mean they’re lying about it.
“Lost media” is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days and I often wonder why can’t people just say “obscure media” or just say that it is “hard to find”. “Lost” is something that cannot be found ever again and in the case of Alimento Del Miedo, the movie isn’t even lost at all—it is just not readily available for public viewing. The film has been theatrically screened several times before, but just barely.
What’s to be another night going back home from work turns into a heavily traumatic experience for a young woman named Alma. A brute man called “Irak” (Eleazar Garcia Jr)& his hired goons follow Alma to her apartment and Irak brutally proceeds to get what he wants from her. What does Irak want from Alma? Irak is a twisted serial rapist & he takes much pleasure from sexually assaulting her and all while he listens to a Spanish-language cover of “Love Me Tender” sung by Patricia Maria (Valentin Trujillo’s real-life wife). With headphones on & tape rolling, Irak rapes Alma.
Alma’s reporter neighbors Jose Garrido (Valentin Trujillo) and Sancho (Rodolfo Rodriguez)come about of what’s going on & fight Irak & his men just before the police show up and arrest them. As Alma files her report on the rape, she is unfairly blamed for it happening & when she’s gets examined, the forensics doctor apparently finds no evidence of it ever happening thus leading to Irak being freed from custody & no charges filed. Jose & Sancho truly want their reports to make stricter laws of rapes in Mexico and just as they try to make this happen, Irak continues his raping rampage around town & proceeds to get to Sancho’s fiancée & then Jose’s new wife Laura (Olivia Collins). The rape of Laura leads to Jose taking matters into his own hands because if the laws can’t stop Irak, then he’s going to have to do it himself—gun in hand & all.
Violacion (translated as "Rape" or "Violation") is one of several well-known titles that Valentin Trujillo had made in the 1980’s and it is quite a memorable one for several reasons. For starters, Violacion can truly be labeled a crime-action thriller, but the film goes far beyond that with its social commentary on the lagging laws of rapes in Mexico. The film gives a glimpse on how lawmen handle rape cases so poorly & how these assaults lead to much trauma to its victims and their loved ones. All brutality in Violacion is provided by actor Eleazar Garcia Jr who was no stranger in playing bad guys in films and here he plays a very bad & twisted man. Next to brutality & a serious topic, Violacion also features peculiar comedic scenes that feel rather out of place for such a serious-themed film, but these scenes will probably still make you chuckle a little since these scenes are just amusing to see. For example, we have scenes featuring a coca-cola bottle shaped phone that gets way too much attention, a scene with a broken coffee dispenser that Sancho tries to clear up, Jose sleeping in his office at work & Jose bribing a notary to speed up his wedding.
While I’ve yet to rank the best films of Valentin Trujillo, I will have to say that Violacion is for sure one of his best because it’s everything that Valentin had embodied during the 1980’s which consisted of a gritty story full of action and a whole lot of commentary & criticism of Mexican society and the people who are supposed to protect it. Was Valentin really trying to tell the audience how messed up the country & its ruling hands are? Yes. Was he also trying to entertain & profit from his admiring career? Yes.