In the 2017 film *Coco*, the darkest moment for the lead character, **Miguel Rivera**, occurs when he is **thrown into a deep cenote (sinkhole) pit** by his former idol, Ernesto de la Cruz.
### The Darkest Moment: The Cenote and the Truth
This scene represents Miguel’s "All Is Lost" moment because it combines physical peril with a devastating emotional and existential crisis:
* **The Betrayal:** Miguel has just discovered that Ernesto de la Cruz is not his great-great-grandfather, but a murderer and a fraud. Ernesto reveals he poisoned his musical partner, Héctor, to steal his songs and guitar. To protect this secret, Ernesto callously orders his security to "dispose" of Miguel, shattering the boy's lifelong dreams and his sense of identity.
* **The Existential Threat:** Trapped in the pit, Miguel is joined by Héctor. There, Miguel realizes that Héctor is his *true* great-great-grandfather. However, the revelation is bittersweet: Héctor begins to glow and collapse in pain—the "Final Death"—because his daughter, Mamá Coco, is finally forgetting him in the Land of the Living. Miguel faces the horrifying reality that he might be trapped forever while his real ancestor vanishes into non-existence.
* **The Emotional Low:** Miguel weeps, apologizing to Héctor for not listening to his family. He feels responsible for Héctor's impending "Final Death" and realizes that his pursuit of musical fame led him to trust a monster and abandon those who truly loved him.
### How He Overcomes It
Miguel overcomes this moment through a combination of external help and a shift in his own values:
1. **Reconciliation and Rescue:** Miguel and Héctor reconcile in the pit, bonding over their shared bloodline. They are soon rescued by **Dante** (who is revealed to be a spirit guide/alebrije) and **Pepita**, the massive flying alebrije belonging to Mamá Imelda. This rescue signifies the family finally coming together to save one another rather than being at odds.
2. **Exposing the Villain:** Instead of just fleeing, Miguel and his deceased relatives work together to infiltrate Ernesto’s sunrise concert. They use a camera to broadcast Ernesto's confession—where he admits to the murder and attempted "second death" of Héctor—to the entire audience in the Land of the Dead, stripping the villain of his power and legacy.
3. **The Ultimate Sacrifice:** For the first time, Miguel prioritizes family over his own desires. He tells Imelda he is willing to accept her blessing with the condition of "no music" as long as they save Héctor’s photo.
4. **The Power of Song (The Final Resolution):** After returning to the Land of the Living, Miguel faces a final hurdle: Mamá Coco is nearly gone, and Héctor’s photo was lost in the Land of the Dead. Miguel "overcomes" the dark shadow of the family's past by breaking their most sacred rule—he plays music for Mamá Coco. By singing **"Remember Me"** (the song Héctor originally wrote for her), he restores her memory. This not only saves Héctor from the Final Death but also heals the generational trauma of the Rivera family, leading to the lifting of the music ban.
(Note: This summary was generated by Gemini 3.0 Flash + Search)