Experience GÜICHO, a moving 2022 drama short film by Hugo Arvizu. A story about a musician, his guitar, and a choice that will change everything.
🎸 GÜICHO (2022) — Drama Short Film by Hugo Arvizu
A tender yet tense coming‑of‑age story set against the backdrop of cartel violence in northern Mexico, GÜICHO is as much about family and identity as it is about survival. Written and directed by Hugo Arvizu, this 13‑minute short draws from lived experience to show how love, loyalty, and danger can coexist in the same small home.
🧭 Overview
- Genre: Drama / Social realism
- Director & Writer: Hugo Arvizu
- Cast:
- Anthony A. Gonzalez (Coco) as Lalo
- Lydiana Guzman as Carmen
- Juan Benitez as Güicho
- Armando Heredia as Jorge
- Pepe Sanchez as El Were
- Runtime: ~13 minutes
- Country: Mexico 🇲🇽
- Language: Spanish
- Budget: Estimated $20,000
- Production company: Arvizu Arts
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (cinematic widescreen)
- Awards: 1 win on the festival circuit
Watch full short:
YouTube watch on:
Vimeo watch on:
📖 Story in Brief
In a small town in northern Mexico, Güicho, a 17‑year‑old aspiring musician, plays guitar on buses 🎶 to scrape together a little money. But music isn’t his only hustle — he also sells drugs to help support his family.
His father, a police officer 👮♂️, ignites a war with the local cartel, putting the entire town — and their home — in danger. Güicho is forced into an impossible choice:
- Side with his father and risk becoming a target of the cartel.
- Stay with the cartel and betray his family.
Either way, the stakes are life‑and‑death, and the music that once felt like an escape now plays under the shadow of violence.
🛠️ Creative DNA & Director’s Vision
Hugo Arvizu grew up in Tamaulipas, Mexico during the early 2000s — one of the most violent periods in the region’s history. While he was fortunate not to be directly in the crossfire, many friends and family weren’t so lucky.
For Arvizu, GÜICHO is:
- A family story first: Not just about cartels or war, but about how violence seeps into the home.
- A tribute to mothers: He sees Mexican mothers as the heart of the family, holding everything together when the world outside is falling apart.
- A Latin American crew: The production was led by women in key roles — cinematography, production design, assistant direction — and staffed entirely by Latin Americans from Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, and Colombia, all of whom understood the fear and fragility the story depicts.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
- 🎯 Authenticity: Grounded in real experiences and cultural truth.
- 🎭 Strong performances: Anthony A. Gonzalez brings quiet intensity to Lalo.
- 🎥 Visual storytelling: Cinematic framing captures both the beauty and danger of the setting.
- 💬 Emotional depth: Balances external conflict with intimate family dynamics.
Cons
- ⏳ Short runtime: Leaves you wanting more time with the characters.
- 🌀 Heavy subject matter: The realism may be emotionally intense for some viewers.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
- Family vs. survival: The painful choices when loyalty and safety collide.
- Youth in danger: How violence shapes — and sometimes steals — adolescence.
- Music as escape: Art as both refuge and reminder of what’s at stake.
- Mothers as anchors: The quiet strength that holds families together in crisis.
👥 Who Is It For?
- Social drama fans: Viewers who appreciate character‑driven stories rooted in real issues.
- Festival audiences: Lovers of short films with emotional and political weight.
- Latin American cinema enthusiasts: Those seeking authentic, regionally grounded narratives.
💡 Humanized Takeaway
GÜICHO 2022 short film is about more than a boy caught between two dangerous worlds — it’s about the way violence rearranges the furniture of a family’s life. Arvizu’s film doesn’t sensationalize; it humanizes, showing that even in the harshest environments, love, music, and hope still fight for space.
🔍 Find More & Support
- IMDb page for GÜICHO — full cast, crew, and production details.
- Arvizu Arts official page — director’s statement and behind‑the‑scenes insights.
- Watch the short on YouTube — full film with Spanish dialogue and English subtitles.