The film is most impressive during its non-musical moments, when directors Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez create an intimate bond with their characters.

After a long and well-received run on the festival circuit, “Going Varsity in Mariachi” arrives on Netflix this week, where it should find the broad, mainstream audience it deserves. And “mainstream” really is the operative word here. While the synopsis may make it sound like a niche attraction, this engaging and entertaining documentary about Texas high schoolers competing for the win in statewide mariachi band competitions has the right ingredients to please even viewers who normally wouldn’t know the difference between a grito and a guitarrón.

As the opening credits succinctly explain: In Texas, where football typically dominates discussions of heated high school rivalries, more than 100 public schools have also fielded competitive mariachi teams in hopes of winning the state championship. Most of the best teams, we’re told, come from the Rio Grande Valley — specifically, a tightly knit group of cities along the U.S.-Mexico border.

But not all teams are created equal. Mariachi Nuevo Santander of Roma High School in Roma, Texas, traditionally dominates matchups like a behemoth, with flashy attire and impressive musicianship. But principals Sam Osborn and Alejandra Vasquez have chosen to focus on the underdogs of Mariachi Oro of Edinburgh North High School, an underfunded institution in a low-income district.