Abstract

The editing of a police film (2021) was recognized at the Berlin Film Festival due to its innovation in language and its significance in the construction of discourse.
The filmmakers exposed their interest in humanizing the police to understand them in a less prejudiced manner, an interest that was perceived by critics as being too empathetic towards the institution. By delving into the concept of humanization, research was found from the field of bioethics, in relation to the treatment of others. From this context, the objective was set t to describe the way in which the editing resources are used in the film and how they contribute to the construction of the humanizing discourse towards the institution. By using the découpage of a chapter, a textual analysis was carried out, revealing schemes related to Murch’s theory (2003). Among the results, a circular structure was observed, following the three-act paradigm, using rhythm to enhance storytelling, employing symbolic editing to highlight moods and concepts, contrasting and repeating schemes, conjunction of editing with sound, and breaking the 30-degree rule.
Additionally, it was observed that the editing is complemented with other codes to showcase the human side of the institution through the leisure and clumsiness of the police officers, but also through their commitment and efficiency.

Keywords: Editing | textual analysis | mexican cinema | humanizing | bioethics