A woman searches for her missing son in a new trailer for Fernanda Valadez’s “Identifying Features.” Set in Mexico, the Spanish-language drama sees Magdalena (Mercedes Hernández) desperately trying to locate Jesus (Juan Jesús Varela), a migrant worker who has been MIA since he took a bus to the U.S. border two months prior. “My son might be dead, but I need to know,” she says.

“Although the story is basically a drama that deals with issues that I believe are relevant in Mexico — violence, enforced disappearances, and migration — I tried to give the film the sensation of a thriller,” Valadez told us. “It’s more lyrical than naturalistic. I wanted to capture the feeling of dealing with a dangerous reality that surpasses our understanding, but at the same time, leaning on an emotion that’s easy to relate to: the love of a mother for her son.”

“Identifying Features” won Zurich Film Festival’s Golden Eye for best feature film and the Latin Horizons Award at San Sebastian Film Festival. The pic marks Valadez’s feature debut. She co-wrote its screenplay with Astrid Rondero.

You can catch “Identifying Features” in theaters and virtual cinemas in January.