Colombia on Film

By Rafael Ocasio -- Críticas, 11/15/2007

For more than 40 years, Colombia has been the tragic victim of the military’s war against left-wing guerrilla groups (mainly the FARC) and right-wing paramilitary groups that emerged in the 1980s to fight the guerrillas. Today, both sides have established allies within the world of the multimillionaire drug lords, who have turned this civil war into a highly sophisticated military campaign. The United States is heavily involved in this ongoing war; Colombia receives the fifth largest amount of U.S. foreign aid worldwide.

The films reviewed here bring to the forefront stories of brave individuals who are fighting Colombia’s drug war, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, or provide a perspective on Colombia’s struggle against violence through characters representative of the different social groups, such as a middle-class family that attempts to lead a normal life in spite of economic strife.

An Honest Citizen: Cocaine and Corruption in Colombia.
(U.S., 2004) color. English & Spanish. 60 mins. Films Media Group (Films for the Humanities & Sciences). 2006. DVD. $129.95. DOCUMENTARY
Part of PBS’s Wide Angle series, this is an exposé of the link between Colombia’s elected officials and the country’s drug lords. María Cristina Chirolla, head of the attorney general’s anti-laundering office, comments on the difficulty of finding that link. The attorney general’s office has made efforts to seize drug lords’ multimillion-dollar properties, but they are often registered under the names of family members and even mistresses. The documentary also includes insight into some controversial figures, such as Salvatore Mancuso, a paramilitary leader who claims that his forces have freed 70 percent of rural land from the guerrillas’ control. Scenes of the dense Colombian jungle illustrate the virtual impossibility of controlling the growth of coca. Highly recommended for collections of Latin American politics and the war on drugs.

Edipo Alcalde.
(Oedipus Mayor)
(Colombia, 1996) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 100 mins. Facets Video. 2007. DVD. $29.95. DRAMA
Set in contemporary Colombia and featuring a stellar international cast, this film by Colombian director Jorge Alí Triana (b. 1942) beautifully captures Gabriel García Márquez’s reinterpretation of Oedipus Rex. García Márquez, perhaps the most filmed of contemporary Latin American writers, has acknowledged that the Greek tragedy had an impact on his literary career since he first read it in his early twenties. Here, the government has sent a mayor named Edipo (Oedipus) to a remote Andean town in a final attempt to forge to an agreement with guerrilla groups in the area. During his journey, the passengers of a mysterious car attack Edipo; he returns fire but barely escapes death. Upon arriving in the town, he learns of the death of Layo, the local strongman. Edipo, subject to his fate, gets romantically involved with Yocasta and faces the wrath of her brother, Creonte. The film, which had a positive reception at the Sundance (1995) and Cannes (1996) film festivals, is a sociological portrait that explores the tragedy of a pointless war and hints at the drug traffickers’ influence on guerillas. One character, the local priest, stands out as a García Márquez trademark, his ambiguous role a metaphor for the war’s futility. Highly recommended for collections of contemporary Colombian films and/or of films based on García Márquez’s works.

El carro.
(The Car)
(Colombia, 2003) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 99 mins. Venevision International. 2006. DVD. $14.98. COMEDY
Newcomer Luis Orjuela’s first long feature is a delightful farce about life in today’s Colombia from the perspective of an ordinary middle-class family in Bogota. Siervo and Florina Vélez are incompatible parents who attempt to provide their three teenagers with the perks of a carefree, upper-middle-class life. While Florina spends money freely, Siervo is the stingy father who constantly places limits on the family’s already stretched budget. He gives in, however, to demands that he buy a used car—a flamboyant 1950s red Chevy. The car, baptized Esdrúbal, soon becomes a member of the family and is at the center of various family crises, including the unexpected pregnancy of the 15-year-old daughter and the son’s mandatory military service. Paola, a rebellious preteen who struggles to fit in, narrates from a detached point of view. Her interaction with Siervo, although tender, is an accurate portrayal of the often complex father-daughter relationship. A major box office success in Colombia and a hit at international and American film festivals, this film is highly recommended for collections of contemporary Colombian films.

Fernando Botero: Searching for the Heroic in Art.
(France, 2003). color. English & Spanish. 53 mins. Films Media Group (Films for the Humanities & Sciences). 2006. DVD & VHS. $129.95. DOCUMENTARY
Botero (b. 1932) draws from Colombia’s peoples and popular cultures and the landscape of his native Medellin. His father, a humble traveling peddler, died when Botero was two. Though he was raised in poverty, Botero concedes that the lack of money was “a marvelous dimension of life” and recalls his childhood as a time “filled with magic, poetry, and surprises.” After initial success as a young painter in Bogotá, he soon traveled to Mexico, Spain, and Italy, where he discovered the European masters (e.g., Titian, Velásquez, Goya, Pietro della Francesca). In New York in 1960, he was discovered by the Museum of Modern Art, and thus his international reputation was launched. Today, he claims that he has had more exhibits that any other living painter. A true iconoclast, with his oversized figures in paintings and sculptures, Botero boasts that he does not consider himself part of any group, instead declaring “I am unique.” Of particular interest is his discussion about his obsession with bullfighting (for a short time in his childhood he trained for the sport) and his fascination with houses of prostitution, with their “absurd characters” and “crazy events.” An excellent introduction to a fascinating artist, this documentary is highly recommended for all film collections.

Mission: Colombia.
(U.S., 2006). color. English & Spanish. 7 mins. Films Media Group. 2006. DVD & VHS. $39.95. DOCUMENTARY
Filmed at the training center at Tres Esquinas, Colombia, this documentary focuses on the high-tech war equipment behind “Plan Colombia,” the the military operation designed by the government to fight guerrilla groups, such as FARC. The United States has become involved in the fight, both as a financial sponsor (contributing up to $1.3 billion) and as a military adviser and seller of war equipment. Because of the increased U.S. involvement, the question looms whether Colombia could become another Vietnam. Of particular interest is a visit to a guerrilla camp, where rebels as young as 14 are interviewed. It is estimated that the FARC membership reaches 15,000 to 17,000 young people (both male and female), well armed and trained in military strategy. This documentary is recommended as a supplement to An Honest Citizen[Laura, pls hotlink, reviewed above].

Rodrigo D: No Futuro.
(Rodrigo D: No Future)
(Colombia, 1990) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 91 mins. Cinemateca, dist. by Facets Video. DVD. $29.95. DRAMA
Set in a poor, marginal neighborhood of Medellín, this film offers a close-up look at the local teenage boys, who often resort to crime because they see no way out of their dismal lives. Director Víctor Gaviria, a native of Medellín, a city strongly involved in drug trafficking and extreme street violence, centers on a group of actual teenagers (in Gaviria’s words “natural actors”), who show how circumstances frequently force them to embark on major crimes, including murder. As the title indicates, there seems to be no future for one of these protagonists, Rodrigo, whose only dream is to become a drummer in one of the local rock bands. Elements of interest are the boys’ fascination with hard rock in both English and Spanish, and the songs they sing become rebellious statements about the sordid lives they lead. Gaviria has spoken about the purpose behind his setting his films in the underground conditions of poor neighborhoods: “Reality has a double condition: it is here, everyday, showing us its face, but at the same time it is illusive like a wall of symbols that demands discernment.” This film is highly recommended for focusing on social issues in Latin America. 

The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt.
(Colombia/U.S., 2003) color. Spanish (English subtitles). 76 mins. Women Make Movies. 2007. DVD and VHS. $89. DOCUMENTARY
This documentary follows the truncated career of Ingrid Betancourt, a vibrant and highly motivated young politician who ran for Colombia’s presidency in 2002 with the support of her own political party, Partido Verde Oxígeno (Green Oxygen Party). From the beginning, her political campaign was marked by her iconoclastic view of the political machinery in Colombia. As a member of Congress, Betancourt had already openly challenged then president Ernesto Samper, whom she publicly accused of having received money from drug traffickers during his presidential campaigns. Betancourt was kidnapped on February 23, 2002, by the FARC. The documentary follows Betancourt’s one-month presidential campaign and chronicles her mother and husband’s courageous decision to continue the campaign in spite of her kidnapping. Today, Betancourt’s whereabouts are still not known. This extraordinary portrait of Colombian politics is highly recommended for all collections of Colombian and Latin American politics.