Sundance Film Festival: London 2023 - Going Varsity in Mariachi

Going Varsity in Mariachi (directed by Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez) documents the exploits of the varsity Mariachi band of Edinburg North High School in southern Texas. Taking place over a year, it frames their competitive journey as an underdog story, their low-income school competing against much more intimidating and well-funded rival bands, tracking their highs and lows as they face defeat and pursue victory. It’s a relatively straightforward, enjoyable premise, filled with great music and interesting people, exploring a fairly esoteric topic that people are very passionate about in a very specific part of the United States. Particularly for an international audience, it’s a window into a series of communities most people would never have even thought of, done in an effective, empathetic way.

What becomes apparent as the film progresses is that much of the nuance and humanity was left on the cutting room floor, and what is left is School of Rock with a mariachi tint. You have to subconsciously remind yourself at points that what is happening is indeed real in order to best appreciate it. Perhaps the best moment of the film was when the coach, Abel Acuña, is giving a pep talk after a disappointing performance, acknowledging the film crew and stating boldly that the stardom and prestige of the documentary had made his band complacent. Even though the film never disguised the presence of the camera, and indeed the camera was often directly addressed, it felt like a brief, solitary breaking of the fourth wall that placed this band and this school back into reality, as a group of real teenagers existing in the same space as the filmmakers, which may be the only time that happens.

Perhaps it’s to conform to American Hollywood sensibilities and expectations, perhaps it’s to appeal to a wider – and younger – audience, which should be applauded. But Going Varsity in Mariachi feels unusually linear and simplified. It does not feel like an exploration of Hispanic culture as it does an exploration of American high school culture, which I fear is the natural result of editing a year’s worth of footage into a feature film.

Varsity in Mariachi is great, and uplifting, but it begs for a deeper humanist touch, and for an extended cut.