The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box)

Plot

In mid-90s Mexico City, five young siblings are left in the care of their grandmother after their parents suddenly disappear. As they fight to survive, the line between reality and something darker starts to blur. The grandmother, haunted by eerie visions and deepening fears, becomes more distant, while the children’s grip on reality begins to unravel. After a clash with their neighbors, the siblings withdraw even further into isolation, cutting themselves off from the outside world.

About The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box)

The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) (Spanish: El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja)) is a 2025 Mexican drama film co-written and directed by Ernesto Martínez Bucio. The film centres on five siblings — Vanessa (Laura Uribe Rojas), Victor (Donovan Said), Elsa (Mariapau Bravo Avina), Marisol (Regina Alejandra) and Tomas (Rafael Nieto Martinez) — who are abandoned by their parents Judith (Micaela Gramajo) and Emiliano (Bernardo Gamboa), and must find ways to survive while in the care of their paranoid schizophrenic grandmother Romana (Carmen Ramos). The film premiered in February 2025 at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The film is scheduled to be released commercially on 23 April 2026, in Mexican theaters.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images