Victims of Sin

Mexico/1951 |Dir. Emilio Fernández

Rarely screened in the United States, Victims of Sin (Victimas del pecado) displays Fernández’s unique blend of film noir, intense melodrama, and explosive musical numbers. Cuban-born acting-dancing sensation Ninón Sevilla brings mind-blowing energy to the role of Violeta, a cabaret performer who adopts the abandoned child of Rita (Rita Montaner) and Rodolfo (Rodolfo Acosta), her murderous, swaggering pimp.

Motherhood forces Violeta to give up her career, but kindhearted club owner Santiago (Tito Junco) pulls her back from poverty and prostitution—until Rodolfo, freed from prison, swears to reclaim his son.

Fernández charges Victims of Sin with the impassioned power of Sevilla, fusing her energy with the gleaming nighttime images of legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. In Spanish with English subtitles. (84 min.)

“Brilliant! Ninón Sevilla, whose emotional dial is permanently cranked to 11, blows everyone else off the screen.” —Farran Smith Nehme, The Village Voice