Two children in a small Oaxacan village form an unlikely friendship that’s put to the test when they witness a horrific tragedy that becomes their darkest secret. The eight-episode coming-of-age series The Secret of the River, starring Diego Calva and Trinidad González, explores gender identity and Zapotec culture in Mexico. From Alberto Barrera (Nada Personal), the show was co-directed by Sundance Award winner Ernesto Contreras (I Dream in Another Language), Alba Gil (Triptych), and Alex Zuno (Tengo que Morir Todas las Noches).
“It is a story led and told by real trans women and muxes [people in the Zapotec Indigenous culture of Oaxaca who identify as a third gender]. I also love that it represents a very authentic Oaxaca,” lead actor González, who plays Sicarú, told Them about the series. “Unfortunately, we live in a country with impunity, where the rates of femicide and transfemicide increase day by day. I applaud the production for saying, ‘You know what? Let’s do it, and let’s do it as it is.’ It shows many faces of machismo, the pain that many women go through, but also the pain that many men suffer from following this system that has corrupted us greatly.”
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Frida Sofía Cruz and Mauro Guzman
Trinidad González and Diego Calva
In a town in Oaxaca, Mexico, two children (played by Guzman and Cruz) are the sole witnesses to an unexpected death; it becomes a secret that forges an unbreakable bond between them. Twenty years later, when their paths cross again, the pair attempt to come to terms with their traumatic childhoods and put their friendship to the test. Will the two be able to make peace with their past and grow close once more?
No, it’s not based on a book.
La Bruja de Texcoco and Frida Sofía Cruz
The series takes place and was filmed in Oaxaca, Mexico.
