Aahana Swrup
The Mexican Netflix drama film, ‘Lost in the Night’ depicts a young man’s pursuit of justice for his mother in a world plagued by class-based corruption. Emiliano’s activist mother, Paloma, boldly stands up to a working-class injustice unraveling in town. As a result, the woman mysteriously disappears, with the accident garnering no interest from local law enforcement. Consequently, her son— on the precipice of young adulthood, finds himself seeking the truth on his own, arriving at the villa of the wealthy Aldama family. Finding a job at their residence, Emiliano and his girlfriend, Jazmin, attempt to uncover dark secrets as they become tangled in the family’s bleak dynamic.
The film charts a mystery-fueled narrative centering around Emiliano’s character, his past, and the lengths he goes to in order to discover the truth about his mother’s fate. Thus, people must be curious to know about the revelations that unfold with the plot and the motives behind them. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Lost in the Night Plot Synopsis
A new international mine’s opening is under work at a Mexican town. However, a group of activists protested its development, arguing against the mine’s unsafe working conditions and sickening influence over the town. Nevertheless, others debate in its favor since it offers good employment opportunities. Eventually, the cops silence the protestors by violently ambushing them late one night. In the end, the protestor’s leader, Paloma, ends up abducted by the police, never to be heard from again.
Years later, Paloma’s son, Emiliano, works at the mine despite its hazardous safety measures, distancing himself from the past protests. Nevertheless, he still continues looking for the truth behind his mother’s disappearance. Unlike his older sister’s more official efforts, Emiliano undertakes a personal investigation, inherently distrustful of the system. As a result, he finds a lead from a fatally injured cop at a hospital, who hints at the Aldama family villa, which holds many secrets.
Consequently, Emiliano and his girlfriend, Jazmin, attempt to spy on the Aldama Villa. Lucky for them, the place saw recent vandalism, presumably at the hands of the Alux Messengers, a religious cult antagonized by Carmen Aldama’s husband, Rigo. Emiliano scores a job as the family’s handyman, allowing him an excuse to get closer to the family. In particular, the famous actress’ influencer daughter, Monica, quickly becomes intrigued by him.
Likewise, Rigo, an artist known for his morbid, trauma-driven exhibitions, also takes a liking to Emiliano, angling to reap artistic inspiration from the boy. Thus, the latter gets close enough to the family and their villa to spot a suspicious well on the premises. Furthermore, he notices a close friendship between Rigo and a possible corrupt cop, Rueben, increasing his suspicions.
For the same reason, Emiliano decides to snoop around after hours one night and traverses into the main house to check out the well with Jazmin as his lookout. To his horror, the boy spots a few dead bodies floating around the well before Rigo pulls him out. Although Rigo and his family believe Emiliano’s claim that he was at the house to investigate strange noises, the night changes something intrinsic about their dynamic. While Emiliano doesn’t get confirmation of his mother’s demise, he realizes the family is hiding deeper secrets than they let on. Likewise, the artistically anguished Rigo realizes his hired handyman has a complex past.
The next morning, Rigo confronts Emiliano about his actions as if wounded by his mistrust. Yet, within the same conversation, the older man maps out his plans for an art exhibit inspired by Emiliano’s difficult life. As such, the boy’s resolve increases and exacerbates his reaction to the death of a young girl within the neighborhood, almost driving him to join a gang’s retaliation attack. Although he fails to follow through and returns home, his momentary lapse in judgment still costs him his relationship with Jazmin. After the drunken haze that follows, Emiliano wakes on a boat with Rigo, with the latter promising answers about Paloma’s disappearance.
Lost in the Night: How Were The Aldamas Involved in Paloma’s Kidnapping? Why?
From the start, Paloma’s abduction at the cops’ hands remains a decided factor. Even though, unlike the audience, Emiliano never got visual confirmation about the same, he knows his town and its corrupt system well enough to suspect the cop’s involvement. Paloma’s vocal protests regarding the mining company categorically delayed its construction, even threatening to dissolve the operation altogether.
For the same reason, Paloma effectively made many enemies. Nevertheless, she remained steadfast in her activism, refusing to back down. As an international operation, the mine never had the townspeople benefits at their heart. Therefore, the mine’s working conditions and environmental impact promised to have negative effects on the town. Consequently, Paloma actively took a stand against it and encouraged others to do the same.
Therefore, the mine’s owners didn’t appreciate Paloma’s actions. One such shareholder, the Aldamas, decided to take matters into their own hand and reached out to their contact, Reuben. Thus, with instructions to take care of the issue through whatever means necessary, Reuben and his men jumped into a violent ambush, killing Paloma’s accomplices and abducting her. Even though Reuben knew the woman, having grown up in the same town as her, he refused to showcase any mercy.
In the end, the exact details of Paloma’s demise remain unknown since Emiliano receives confirmation about it from Rigo. The latter barely knows the specifics behind the actions men carried out on his command— including where they hid the activist’s corpse. Still, he claims to be haunted by them all the same and pledges to confess his crimes to the police according to Emiliano’s wishes. Even so, Rigo covertly records the entire conversation as a twisted art piece.
Rigo’s thirst for artistic recognition defines his character. Yet, the man is unable to garner inspiration from his own experiences. Instead, he relies on exploiting and explaining others’ trauma to create any meaning in his art. For the same reason, his newfound guilty conscience about Paloma’s death becomes the latest centerpiece of his exhibition when his attempts to coax out Emiliano’s trauma fail.
Emiliano notices the same and refuses to give Rigo the reaction he craves, simply asking him to return them to shore. However, after getting the answers to questions he’s carried around for years, a brand new complication awaits Emiliano on the shore at the Aldama house: Carmen.
Why Does Carmen Kill Rigo?
Upon their return to the shore, Emiliano and Rigo are instantly confronted by a frustrated Carmen. Rigo may have been the one to confess to the family’s involvement in Paloma’s demise, but Carmen was the one who helmed the devious plot. Unlike Rigo, Carmen has a different approach to her career. While Rigo wants to be a famed artist and utilizes controversial means to attempt relevancy, Carmen’s stardom remains constant.
In fact, the same remains a defining factor within the pair’s relationship. Jazmin recognizes Carmen and requests selfies with her while Rigo has to point the girl toward his art. Likewise, Carmen owns the house known as the Aldama’s Villa, but Rigo doesn’t even share his wife’s last name. Therefore, Carmen is better at achieving success and holding on to it.
For the same reason, Carmen attempts to negate Rigo’s confessional words when he and Emiliano return to the shore. Nonetheless, her husband remains insistent on his statement. During their argument, Emiliano snatches the opportunity and tries to choke the older man. However, Monica, armed with a gun, foils his plans, leading him to escape. In Emiliano’s absence, Carmen and Rigo get a moment to themselves wherein they brutally argue about the recent developments.
Rigo’s quest to find artistic relevance is threatening to cost Carmen her career. Worse yet, the man claims to be on his journey as a result of his moral conscience. Yet, Carmen knows her husband well enough to know that his urge to confess his sins is nothing more than a bait to flaunt his pretentious artistry. Rigo wants to confess so that he can gain clout from the event by presenting his guilt as a sign of moral superiority. However, he isn’t concerned about how the decision affects his family.
Rigo and Carmen mutually benefited from the mine’s construction as shareholders at the company. As such, Rigo’s attempts to confess the crime hold dire repercussions for Carmen. For the same reason, the woman, who never particularly cared for her marriage, shoots Rigo in cold blood.
Does Carmen Get Away With The Murder? Is Emiliano Arrested?
After the revelationary late-night boat ride with Rigo, Emiliano attempts to flee from the Aldamas by putting a vast difference between himself and them. Still, the same night, while Carmen commits her husband’s murder, Monica seeks Emiliano out. The pair have always had a subliminally flirtatious dynamic, with the former making her attraction clear. Still, Emiliano never reciprocated her feelings on account of his relationship with Jazmin.
However, sporting a fresh heartbreak paired with the newly reopened wound of his mother’s death, Emiliano gives into his attraction toward Monica. The pair make out while Monica’s phone live streams the whole thing, paralleling the girl’s attention-seeking similarity that she shares with her step-father. Meanwhile, Rigo’s death turns the Villa into a crime scene. Moreover, Carmen tries to pin the blame on Emiliano, turning him into a suspect.
As such, the cops, who are already loyal to Carmen and her wealth, take Emiliano into custody. Even though a couple of Alux Messengers followers help Emiliano escape, it sends him into a brutal chase. By the end, an injured Emiliano, sporting a bullet wound, shows up at Monica’s house to hide. The entire time, Monica has been confused about the specifics of what transpired between her parents and Emiliano. Still, she’s happy to see the boy.
Even so, Monica tries to argue that her mother may still pull through with moral intentions, attempting to believe Carmen’s claims that she’ll help Emiliano out after his arrest. However, she isn’t naive enough to believe it. As a result, the next morning, she threatens to jump off the villa’s roof unless Carmen shares the entire truth about Rigo’s death with her. Consequently, Carmen confesses to the murder, unbeknownst that her daughter has been live-streaming their interaction. Thus, with the truth out in the open to thousands of people, Carmen’s impromptu confession clears Emiliano’s name and condemns her own.
Meanwhile, Monica, who showcases suicidal tendencies throughout the film, jumps to her death, unwilling to cope with her family’s reality. Ultimately, the cops escort Emiliano back to his town while Carmen stays back in their custody. Considering the corrupt nature of the system, it’s possible that Carmen will manage to weasel her way out of legal repercussions. Still, at least Emiliano gets to return to his old life— and Jazmin— even if forever changed.
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