The best mariachi musicians perform confidently, expressively, and loudly. High school students, on the other hand, tend to be insecure, awkward, and uncertain about who they are and what they want to be when they grow up. Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Going Varsity in Mariachi is a look at the world of competitive high school mariachi teams who compete to win state championships. The film is joyful, expressive, and fun to watch. It will delight fans of sports and music documentaries (think Netflix’s Cheer or Apple TV+’s Boys State) as well as mariachi music (such as myself).
As we learn, the main location for competitive mariachi music in the U.S. is Texas. Going Varsity in Mariachi begins by stating, “In Texas, over 100 public schools compete in state championships. The best are between the Rio Grande border between U.S. and Mexico.”
The film begins, when else, but on the first day of school. (Timely enough, it’s the school’s first in-person semester since moving to online learning due to COVID). The documentary follows Edinburg North High School’s “Mariachi Oro” team. As we see, the school has a long history of success and awards. However, this year, the team is largely green and inexperienced. The task ahead of them is clear: to individually hone their instruments and quickly unite as a top-performing mariachi band in order to win their state’s championship.
There’s high school senior and varsity leader Bella, the head of the violin section who leads the team. We also meet the leaders of the trumpet and guitar sections, each needing to lead their sub-groups to success. The team’s coach is music director Abel Acuña, who’s led the school to many award-winning finishes in its history. On the first day of practice, he informs them that for the state championship, they must memorize 2 hours’ worth of complex music and outshine all of the other highly skilled teams if they are to place, let alone win.
It’s a tall task, especially considering the factors that are against them. Going Varsity in Mariachi follows the kids at home in their personal lives. Socio-economic factors such as low income pose problems for some kids (and is a reason some pursue mariachi, for financial scholarships to college). Similarly, the school also has to compete against other affluent schools with much higher budgets allocated to their programs.
The kids also struggle with just being kids. A suspenseful moment comes when one of the students, distracted by a new girlfriend, is kicked off of the team for missing practices. Panic sets in, as they’re left without a leader for the guitar section with a quickly approaching competition. An even more compelling part of the documentary is the time we spend with a same-sex couple within the band. While young and introverted, they both own their sexualities and their feelings for each other, which is quite touching.
While all of the kids are at different confidence and competency levels, Going Varsity in Mariachi shows what unites them. Admirably, it’s the deep connection they all have to their Mexican roots, which the music brings out. When the film shows them in their magnificently made costumes and performing together, you can see them come alive, proud of their heritage that the music expresses. It’s hard not to get chills.
Directors Sam Osborn & Alejandra Vasquez do an excellent job of crafting a meaningful story arc within a full year spent with these students. It’s a tough journey that they face together. The story doesn’t shy away from showing the ups, and many downs, too. After one particular performance, a frustrated Acuña informs them that they’ve received the worst score he’s seen during his time with the school.
But by the end of the film at the state championship, they are ready to compete. Seeing them in their uniforms, while concert-level tracking shots soar past them at their fullest power is electric. It will make you want to stand out of your seat and yelp your deepest gritos.
Going Varsity in Mariachi is a fun and rewarding watch. It’s quite powerful to see how this special music will educate and inspire future generations to come.
1h 5m.
