Sarita goes out dancing one night at the insistence of her free-spirited sister, Bea. Uncharacteristically, Sarita dances the night away, heading home alone when the party drags on too late. The next morning, after calling friends and neighbors, Sarita begins to panic when she realizes that Bea never made it home. The police are indifferent and unhelpful, but Sarita suspects that Bea's disappearance has something to do with Andrés, her sister’s dangerous ex. Realizing she must take matters into her own hands, Sarita finds a way to befriend him and infiltrate his gang. With an unwavering determination, Sarita becomes increasingly involved with Andrés and the ruthless, violent underworld of Guatemalan street gangs.

Nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards and praised for its "gritty authenticity" (Screen Daily), CADEJO BLANCO is a tense, nail-biting thriller featuring an almost entirely non-professional cast, including several performers with real-life ties to the gangs depicted onscreen.

“Now and then a U.S. director immerses himself in Latin American culture so effectively that he delivers with all the gritty authenticity of a local filmmaker... Justin Lerner has built on years of collaborative work with members of Guatemala’s ‘clicas,’ or youth gangs, to deliver a nail-biting, evocative and utterly persuasive crime drama that is very much a part of the country’s burgeoning film output.” –Screen Daily

DIRECTED BY JUSTIN LERNER
GUATEMALA, UNITED STATES, MEXICO | 2021 | SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES