Colombian film - FilmRoot

The Colours of the Mountain (Colombia)

The Colors of the Mountain Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

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Watch The Colors of the Mountain to see the beauty and ugliness of Colombia side by side. See beauty in the lush vegetation, innocent school children, and peaceful life in the countryside. And see ugliness in the spreading war between the local guerillas and paramilitaries. Luckily for tourists, the ugliness of the war has subsided. And luckily for film viewers, Colombia is still producing great films, just go and watch Embrace of the Serpent after this one.

Why Watch The Colors of the Mountain?

For a great coming-of-age film (for more coming-of-age films check out Kids Return, The Wounded Angel)
See the beautiful Colombian countryside and the people that live in it
Witness how the war between the guerillas and the paramilitary groups affected life in Colombia (for something similar, see Silvered Water which follows a young kid living in the Syrian war zone)
See how arepas are made!

The Breakdown

The Colors of the Mountain starts with a shot of a small house in the lush Colombian countryside. A boy with a football in his arms runs down the drive and into the rolling fields across from his house. The countryside is full of sounds of insects, birds, and frogs, and you can almost feel the heat. The boy runs to his friend’s house and persuades him to come and play football.

This is their simple, peaceful life. They wake up, eat, and either go to school or play football. 9-year old Manuel’s parents are always around the house, tending to their two cows, fixing the house, or cooking. Life is good.

However, the signs of trouble become more and more obvious. The first sign of danger is the graffitti written across the wall of the school in red: ‘el pueblo con las armas, vencer o morir’. This roughly translates to ‘the town with weapons, conquer or die’. Secondly, the potential danger is confirmed in Manuel’s Dad. When Manuel and his Dad are milking their cow, his Dad spots four men in ponchos walking up to their house. You can just make out the butt of a machine gun on one of them, protruding from their clothes. Manuel’s Dad urgently grabs Manuel and runs him into their house to hide. His reaction confirms the threat of the men in ponchos, and the danger they live with which is largely unnoticed by Manuel and his friends.

Conclusion

The Colors of the Mountain shows us the danger posed by both the Guerillas and the Paramilitaries in rural Colombia. It also shows us how normal life can temporarily appear in a war zone. For those that want to see Colombia in all it’s beauty and ugliness, this one is for you.

The Towrope (Colombia) – Can You Hide from the Colombian Civil War?

The Towrope Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Could you escape from the Colombian Civil War? Even in the remote parts of Colombia where The Towrope is set, the effects of the Civil War are unavoidable. It seems like everyone knows someone who has been affected by the conflict. However, the part of Colombia in The Towrope is like another world. Welcome to the grey skies and cold rain you don’t see on the Colombian guide books.

Why Watch The Towrope?

To see more evidence of the beautiful, diverse landscape of Colombia (for more evidence see Colours of the Mountain and Embrace of the Serpent)
See how the landscape becomes an extra character (like the sparse desert landscape of New Mexico in Breaking Bad)
Learn how the Civil War has permeated all parts of Colombia
See what it’s like to live in the remote countryside without electricity

The Breakdown

The Towrope starts with the silhouette of a limp figure hanging from a stake. It’s dawn, and the sky is so grey that it’s impossible to see if it’s a dead person or a scarecrow; either a sign of the civil war or a sign of fertility.

It’s not people, but the landscape that sets the tone of this film. The grey sky and persistent rain is not the sunny, hot Colombia that foreigners probably think of. The lake they live by is empty and quiet and not full of tourists or visitors. The landscape and weather defines the life of the locals. They have to continually fix their houses to withstand the weather and their movement and freedom is limited by the lake.

The gloomy weather compliments the dark backdrop of the Civil War. 19 year old Alicia arrives at her Uncle’s house on the lake after her hometown was destroyed by the Civil War. It’s not clear if her family have been killed or abandoned. Her Uncle reluctantly lets her stay with him but does not offer her much hospitality.

Image result for la sirga

Conclusion

This slow paced film masterfully builds tension. The sound of creaking floorboards and rain and wind battering the sides of the house ominously hint that trouble is nearby. All the signs of Civil War are around, but nothing is explained in any detail. It’s not clear how they have been affected by the Civil War and if danger is nearby. All we can do is keep guessing.

Impression of a War – The Legacy of Violence in Colombia

Impression of a War Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

You probably know who Pablo Escobar is and what he did. You also may know about the war that has raged on in Colombia across the last several decades. While the wars have ceased, the mist of violence still remains. In Impression of a War you’ll see that violence still lingers in Colombia. It is hidden in the landscapes, the music, and the people of Colombia. This film will show you where to look.

Image result for impression of a war

Why Watch Impression of a War?

You’ve seen Narcos and possibly Colours of the Mountain and Maria Full of Grace and want to see a more experimental look at the legacy of violence in Colombia
It’s a kaleidoscope of images showing how violence has permeated all aspects of life in Colombia
To see Colombian soldiers shooting at guerillas one minute, and dancing salsa the next
It’s a Silver Leopard winner at the Locarno Film Festival

The Breakdown

The river of Medellin has changed colours many times in it’s contemporary history as textile factories up river dumped excess dye into the river. One time the factory chucked bucket loads of red dye into the river turning the whole river red. This happened at the height of Escobar’s violence in Medellin and as a result, the media turned this blood red river into a symbol of the cities violence.

This anecdote is one example of the violence entrenched in Colombian society. An entrenchment that cannot see a river coloured red by red dye, but a river soaked in blood.

Impression of a War is a work of art that tries to cast a subjective gaze at the legacy of violence in Colombia. Restrepo (the director) captures any visible trace of violence in the daily lives of the people living in Colombia. He shows us images from the battlefields, images from the landscape (as above), and interviews with those affected by the violence.

All these traces, whether deliberate or accidental, constitute the raw material for Impression of a War.

Conclusion

This 30 minute documentary covers a lot. Violence has affected everything from the colour of the taxis to the cities music. Will the new generation be freed from this legacy?