A man steals to buy medicine for his sick mother but when she dies he gets into drug trafficking at a local cabaret.
Acting
Ninón Sevilla's cabaret magnetism owns every frame.
Score
Agustín Lara's original music haunts the narrative.
Production
Gout's cabaret world feels lived-in and lethal.

Director
Alberto Gout
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rumberas films like this defined 1940s Mexican cinema, blending Afro-Cuban dance rhythms with Catholic guilt narratives.
Real-life composer Agustín Lara plays himself, a meta-choice typical of Gout's blurring of reality and performance.