The Load (2016) — La Carga in Spanish — is a really, really interesting movie set in 16th-century colonial Mexico. The plot summary may sound slightly strange to you, so bear with me while I set it up. First, you have an Indian insurrection brewing against Spanish rule, and a real-life Caxcan Indian leader (Francisco Tenamaztle) who has been imprisoned. Next, you have Elisa, a Spanish widow (played by María Valverde) who wants to testify in Tenamaztle’s defense as she knows The Dirt. Various Franciscan priests who are in support of Tenamaztle need to get Elisa away from the Spanish officials and to the coast so she can sail to Spain and testify. And that’s when Painalli — an Indian man who works as a tlamemeh, porters who carry goods around the country on their backs — is recruited to literally carry Elisa (the load) on his back for hundreds of miles.
Like this, among other methods.
The film is interesting for a number of reasons. First, there are multiple scenes showing Caxcan Indian life, and I’m always interested in realistic depictions of native cultures.
Stopping in Painalli’s village.
There’s also a lot of adventure and a real sense of what 16th-century Mexico may have been like.
Okay, and there’s also this sort of thing:
HELLO SAILOR
On to the costumes! They were designed by Adela Cortázar, who weirdly isn’t credited on IMDB. The film appears to be set in the 1550s (based on Francisco Tenamaztle’s timeline). First, you get an actually-researched look at 16th-century Mexican dress:
On the left, an Aztec man wearing a cape and loincloth. On the right, an Aztec woman wearing a skirt and blouse | Codex Magliabecchi, XIII, 11, 3.
Painalli and other tlamemes porters wear wrapped loincloths.
The men wear capes, and the women wear blouses and skirts.
Elisa’s wardrobe is overall pretty decent. She’s the only female character (aside from some nuns and a maid, who will look at in a minute), so we’ll focus on her. She starts in this black gown that evokes all my ideas of 16th-century Spanish dress — she’s in black because she’s a widow:
Black and gold, high neckline…
Compare it to the lines of the (way more formal) gown worn by Isabella of Portugal:
Portrait of Isabella of Portugal by Titian, 1548, Museo del Prado
Looking closer, however, I was disappointed to see that what appears to be a partlet is actually sewn in and therefore Officially Weird:
At least her hair is (beautifully) up!
Elisa spends most of the film roughing it in this pale yellow gown, with no hoop for practicality’s sake. I generally liked this dress, although the fabric pattern seems more 18th-century naturalistic than 16th-century geometric — but the contrast is so pale it doesn’t really register.
However, someone doesn’t know how to dress a spiral-laced bodice, and the gown is misaligned in back, a pet peeve of mine.
I’m pretty sure those are metal grommets, too.
I do want to know how, no matter how off-road things got, Elisa managed to always hang on to her earrings.
Late in the film, Elisa ditches her gown for what she has presumably been wearing underneath, an open bodice petticoat straight out of the Tudor Tailor.
Somebody did their research!!
Near the end of the film, Elisa wears this doublet-bodiced gown:
I question the fact that no one has thrown a scrunchie at her.
Side-back lacing makes me happy!
And finally, at court in Spain, she’s all dressed up in a red damask dress:
Really pretty!!
The pearled caul is right out of period portraits… Except someone got the plastic jewels and glue gun out *sigh*
And again, someone doesn’t know how to spiral lace. I understand, this has happened to me. BUT THEN YOU UNLACE AND START OVER ON THE OTHER SIDE. Also, these grommets are DEFINITELY metal.
Looking at other characters:
Elisa’s maid looks quite plausible!
The Spaniards could use more hats.
Especially at court, come on guys!
Watch The Load. You’ll be glad you did!
is that a concealed zip up the back of the black gown?
I wondered if there is a zipper up the back of the side-back-laced dress.
That center back seam is suspicious … same with the center-back seam on the black dress. sigh
I was desperately hoping it was clunky boning, and that there was a side front opening?
It strikes me as really strange that the Franciscan fathers would prefer to entrust their vital witness to one man, however trusted. What if they’re waylaid? A mule and a couple of escorts makes more sense. And possibly a little less noticable than a native Porter carrying a Spanish woman on his back.
Wouldn’t the spiral lacing misalignment occur because the eyelets aren’t set up in a way meant for spiral lacing? All the spiral lacing holes I’ve seen have them offset with the top and bottom pairs of eyelets aligned horizontally so it effectively locks the ends in place. With what’s seen here, the shifting would occur since there isn’t anything locking them together horizontally.
Yeah I think that’s what’s happening. These here don’t have the closer spacing at opposite top and bottom to balance it out.
It’s taken me far too long to respond, but I just need to state that your username made me LOL! (And yes, I think you’re right about the lack of offset hole layout)
I’m amused by the lacing comments. This is backwoods colonial Mexico circa 1542! If you were a noblewoman out there 350 years before fashion magazines, you’d have to be very lucky to have a dresser available who knew how to get your clothes lined up right and to have a full length mirror so you could check your back to see. I’d regard the misalignment as verisimilitude on the part of the director, whatever other anachronisms or stretches of credibility are onscreen.
Ooh this sounds really interesting. Thanks for sharing about it!
I’ve only seen this actress in two other films–The Limehouse Golem and Cracks–both of which were interesting and good. So, I’ll give her credit for picking at least two good projects. I’ve never heard of this film before. Thanks for putting this on my radar.
OK—just roll with me for a second…does anyone else think that the very first picture, the native man in the front looks like Tommy Lee Jones–in the face. Please tell me that you can see that! When I saw the thumbnail, I was like, did they find some random vintage Tommy Lee Jones movie? Um…no. But still…that guy’s face looks like his (to me at least)!
I can totally see the Tommy Lee Jones!
So glad you can see the resemblance too!