Pam Grady February 1, 2021Updated: February 4, 2021, 7:06 pm
A 16th century conquistador (Eduardo San Juan) sits among migrants in 21st century Mexico in Rodrigo Reyes’ “499,” screening virtually at SF IndieFest. Photo: SF IndieFest
Oakland filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes’ new documentary-fiction hybrid “499” begins with the striking image of a man flailing in water. Washing up on shore, he is revealed to be a Spanish conquistador in the army of Hernán Cortés, coming to conquer the Aztec empire. But when his foot crunches down on a plastic cup, he gets his first inkling that he has traveled too far into the future from 1519.