'Màquina' Review: A Powerful Journey Through Addiction and Family
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Elliot Lines - August 28, 2026
What begins as a journey towards an unconventional approach to addiction treatment gradually becomes something much more personal, Màquina explores the complicated relationship between a father and son while confronting the generational trauma that has shaped their family.
What is Màquina about?
Màquina follows a father consumed by alcoholism who agrees to join his son on a journey through psychedelic-assisted addiction treatment in Colorado, their road trip across the American West in an aging Winnebago becomes an unflinching exploration of co-dependency, memory, and hope.
The personal nature of Màquina is its greatest strength. Because Pujol is documenting people he knows intimately, there is an authenticity to the conversations that would be difficult to manufacture in a more traditional documentary. The relationship between Xavi and Marcel is complicated, with moments of affection sitting alongside frustration, reluctance and uncomfortable truths about the impact their behaviour has had on those around them. Rather than presenting addiction as something that can simply be overcome through a single treatment, Pujol allows the process to remain messy and uncertain.
Visually, Màquina is perhaps more ambitious than its subject matter initially suggests. The journey across the American West provides Pujol with an opportunity to contrast the landscapes with the personal conversations taking place inside the Winnebago. The vehicle itself becomes an effective part of the story, with its breakdowns and limitations reflecting the instability of the journey. The quieter moments away from the central conversations allow the audience to absorb what has been discussed. At times, however, it can at times test your patience, particularly when conversations begin to circle around familiar ideas. The film's willingness to sit with these moments is understandable given the subject matter, but it does occasionally affect its flow.
Màquina is at its best when it embraces the uncomfortable reality of its own story. Pujol doesn't attempt to provide easy answers or turn addiction and recovery into a conventional redemption narrative, instead focusing on the complicated process of understanding the people involved and the experiences that have shaped them. Its slower pace and experimental approach won't work for everyone, but there is a sincerity to Màquina that makes it difficult to dismiss.
'Màquina' has been selected for the 2026 Brooklyn Film Festival.
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