‘Ixcanul’: a volcanic look at Mayan life

“Ixcanul,” which takes place near a volcano in Guatemala, is a lyrical film that plays like a well-done National Geographic special — until it unexpectedly turns lava hot.

Throughout, “Ixcanul” impresses with its attention to detail, chronicling the daily routines of a Mayan coffee-farming village, an isolated place where cars, cell phones and televisions appear to be nonexistent.

The ashen volcano hovers ominously, a symbol of pent-up feelings and a smoldering conflict between modernity and tradition.

The stoic Maria doesn’t outwardly resist the arrangement, but her true desire is for Pepe, an alcoholic coffee worker whose dreams of escaping to the United States trump any desire for a future with Maria.

The beautifully shot, meditative film takes on a palpable sense of urgency after Maria makes a fateful move, leaving both the young woman and her family in a quandary that forces them to deal with the outside world, including a harrowing trip to a hospital where no one understands their language.