The Three Barfs of Melquiades Estrada

In case you’ve just stepped into this mess and are confused as to why I’m fixated on puke, let me explain. I’m not fixated on puke, but I’ve always been fascinated how TV shows and movies are. I don't actively seek out such scenes, I just note them when they occur. It’s quick, often lazy shorthand for emotional distress of a type that I’ve never witnessed in real life. But then, I’ve never killed a man.

In The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Barry Pepper shoots and kills Melquiades (I don’t think that’s a spoiler considering the title of the movie). This causes Tommy Lee Jones to go batshit and he kidnaps Pepper, forces him to dig up the corpse and makes him come along on a journey to bury Mr. Estrada in his Mexican hometown.

Digging up the rotting body induced a vomitous moment. Sure, decaying flesh could cause a physical reaction but I definitely think feelings were the culprit in this case. Perhaps we should all think twice the next time we get the urge to shoot someone.