Went on a little trip to South America tonight.

La Sierra -- (USA/2004) -- Directed by Scott Dalton and Margarita Martinez.

The SIFF synopsis was lame, so I swiped this from http://www.lasierrafilm.com/ and cut out the spoilers:

More than 30,000 people have been killed over the last ten years in Colombia’s bloody civil conflict, in which left-wing guerillas fight against the government and illegal right-wing paramilitary groups. Recently, as guerillas and paramilitaries sought to control marginal city neighborhoods, urban gangs aligned themselves with each side. In this way, the national conflict was translated into a brutal turf war that pitted adjacent barrios against each other. The documentary La Sierra explores life over the course of a year in one such barrio (La Sierra, in Medellin), through the prism of three young lives

Edison, aka “The Doll,” is a paramilitary commander in La Sierra. At the age of 22, he is also the de facto mayor of the neighborhood and a playboy who has fathered six children by six different women. Openly dedicated to and excited by his life of violence, he is also an intelligent and charismatic young man. As we follow him through the armed conflict, its victories and setbacks, he shares his dreams for himself and his children, and explains his attachment to what he calls “my war.”

Cielo, age 17, was displaced from the countryside in sixth grade, when her brother and father were murdered by guerillas. A mother at the age of 15, she was widowed when the father of her son (a gang member) was killed. Now Cielo is devoted to a new boyfriend, a paramilitary, who she visits in jail every Sunday.

Jesus, 19, is a mid-level paramilitary member. Badly wounded when a homemade grenade blew up in his hands and face, Jesus presents himself as ready for death at any moment and hoping for little more than the opportunity to continue indulging his taste for marijuana and cocaine.

La Sierra is an intimate, unflinching portrait of three lives defined by violence, and a community wracked by conflict. Over the course of a year these lives, and the life of the barrio itself, each undergo profound changes, experiencing victory, despair, defeat, death, love, and hope. In a place where journalists are seldom allowed, Scott Dalton and Margarita Martinez spent a year filming, interviewing, and building trust. The result is a frank portrayal that not only includes startling scenes of graphic violence and its aftermath, but also reveals intimate moments of love and tenderness, and shows the everyday life that manages to coexist with conflict.

Wow. I have mad respect for the directors for making this doc. I don't know how they managed to get these people, especially Edison, to give them no-holds barred access to their lives. Seriously...they risked their lives making this film...they were right there filming, running right along with the paramilitaries as shots were being fired at them by guerillas. This was as real as it gets. I'm pretty sure it was Dalton working the camera most of the time because during one of the times they were being fired at, one of them said "Get down, Gringo!", lol.

The only complaint I have about it is I would've liked to have known more about the history of these guerilla-paramiltary conflicts without having to wait to come home and Google it. Also, if you can't deal with a lot of camera shaking, this film is not for you, lol. B+



Almost Brothers -- (Brazil/2004) -- Directed by Lúcia Murat.

Synopsis from http://www.sfiff.org/fest05/titleDetail.asp?title_id=5

In this story of Miguel and Jorge, Lúcia Murat probes 50 years of violence, race and class in Brazil. Initially they are childhood friends—Miguel’s father was a liberal white musicologist; Jorge’s was a brilliant black samba musician who died without ever making a record. They meet again in the ’70s when Miguel is a political prisoner and Jorge is serving time for theft. Later, in present day Rio de Janeiro, Miguel has become a politician while Jorge organizes armed thugs in hillside shantytowns by cell phone from prison.

I liked it...I think. I've gotta see this one again to really form an opinion of it. The story was all over the place, switching between the 50's, 70's and present day, and it took me about half the film to figure out who was whom and gain some understanding of how everything fit together. There was a City of God-esque subplot that I thought was unnecessary... although I think we were supposed to compare and contrast Jorge's gang with the "Collective" he and Miguel were a part of in prison in the 70's. Also, I thought it was a little too coincidental that Miguel's daughter just happened to be involved with Jorge's righthand man. But like I said, I need to see it again...if it shows up on DVD. For now, I give it a B.

My South American trip was cut short when Ronda Nocturna (Argentina) was cancelled due to the film not making it here. Ah, well. It was kinda nice not to have to see 3 films in one evening.


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My diminutive DVD collection: http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&id=kurlyswirl

I be Scrobblin': http://www.audioscrobbler.com/user/TasteeTreat/