A 35mm color anamorphic gem from Canadian/Mexican hybridist Nicolás Pereda (Verano de Goliath, FNC lab 2010), Los Mejores Temas (Greatest Hits) is a twist on the return of the prodigal son to the family fold. Emilio, a 50-something drifter, returns after a long absence to his wife and 28-year-old sad-sack son Gabino. The disconnect is clear and present, and it’s only a matter of time before the deadbeat dad finds his way back out, if only to reconvene with his progeny on alternate turf. The “real world” is never too far away, as Pereda chooses to employ his own uncle in one of the roles, a process that encourages reaction and interaction within the fictional framework. Especially of interest is the film’s experimentation with skewed sound and dialogue, executed in a way that also foregrounds the central concerns with representation and characterization. There is a grace and profoundly painterly quality to the image, and a subtle cleverness to the story, which suggests an Edward hopper rendition of Egoyan’s Family Viewing. With six remarkable features in as many years, Pereda is clearly assembling his own stable of greatest hits, and one can only look forward to more. — Madeleine Molyneaux